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Carries security Jonathan Owens kicked off the holiday season Monday afternoon by hosting its third annual turkey drive to provide Thanksgiving meals to 500 Chicago families.
Through the Jonathan Owens Foundation, the St. Louis native has now taken the event to every NFL city where he has played – Houston, Green Bay and Chicago – with the goal of touching every community that welcomes him.
Owens felt that impact immediately upon arriving at the Building Bright Futures Center for the Arts on the city's west side, when he encountered a line of families gathered around the block. After each family received a set of bags containing a turkey, corn, green beans, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, Owens took to the streets to distribute the rest of the meals to passing cars and buses.
“The holidays are just a great time to try to bless people, give them a great experience, see smiles on kids' faces and just feel like a part of the community,” Owens told ChicagoBears. com. “Thanksgiving has always been a big deal for me. When I started getting feedback from the families that came a few years ago, I just saw how much of an impact we had on the community.”
“It's a great thing out here. I wish everyone could see how many happy children and families there are. We take photos, we point out people in the middle of the street, we hand out turkeys and Thanksgiving dinner. “It was an incredible experience.”
