Plano — The Dallas Cowboys spent their Monday following a 40-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars packing boxes for the North Texas Food Bank at their brand new Perot Campus.
The new Plano facility was built in August after the NTFB used to have a facility in south Dallas. The Plano location is more central in helping the food bank provide 60 percent of the food to local food pantries in the 13 counties in and around the Metroplex.
"I don't think anything can be better than doing something like this for the community around you, and hunger is a big deal," said linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. "You don't want anybody to go hungry. For us to get out here and do this the day after a game is pretty special, and I know it means a lot to the guys, and we take pride in that as well."
The task was turned into a competition. The rookies were divided into two teams and the goal was to see which side could pack the most boxes of food in 30 minutes. The rookies had to take part in the whole process from assembling cardboard boxes to taping them up and stacking them on pallets.
Third-round receiver Michael Gallup relished the opportunity to take part in the event.
"You're global," Gallup said. "Everybody wants to know about you. If you do something wrong or you do something great, everybody is going to know about it just because you play for the Dallas Cowboys. So, we try to make sure everything is good coming out."
Even if the community outreach project was retooled as a fun competition, the Cowboys rookies did their part to help provide 190,000 meals a day for people struggling to find their next meal in the Metroplex, 95 percent of whom are not homeless.
"Everybody's seeing what you do," Gallup said. "Giving back, that's something that the Cowboys, they try to do a lot, and being a part of that is great."
The Cowboys' association with the North Texas Food Bank extends beyond the rookies pack boxes on Monday. In May, the Cowboys hosted "Taste of the NFL" at The Star in Frisco in May and raised over $4 million for the food bank.
All-Pro center Travis Frederick has also lent his support through his eponymous Blocking Out Hunger initiative to help the North Texas Food Bank with providing school lunches and backpack programs. Pro Bowl linebacker Sean Lee has also voiced public service announcements advocating donations and involvement with the North Texas Food Bank.
"It's definitely a fun thing," said Gallup. "It always feel good doing stuff with people, even if they don't know you're doing it."
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