SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — As part of the Foster Farms Bowl’s initiative for fighting hunger, the Terrapins football team volunteered at St. Anthony’s Dining Hall Sunday morning, preparing and serving food for a number of local disadvantaged individuals.
“This is just a great opportunity for our young men to be able to help out people who are a little bit less fortunate, to give back to the San Francisco community who’s been so gracious to us in our stay here, and really to get our guys to understand that football is just a game, but this is life,” said coach Randy Edsall, who gave away his Terps jacket to a diner. “Hopefully get them to understand that they can make a different in other people’s lives.”
The Terps worked two shifts from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The offense volunteered for the first half of the morning while the defense took over for the second half.
Players performed various tasks, including peeling potatoes, putting silverware on trays, stirring pots, serving food and bussing tables.
“This is my first time doing something like this, and it’s great to help these people in need and serve them,” wide receiver Jacquille Veii said. “It puts things in perspective for me, and it’s very humbling.”
Center Sal Conaboy, an avid philanthropist who’s organized team visits to the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital and ran fundraising events for cancer patients as a high schooler, was impressed with the organization at St. Anthony’s.
“This is really cool to see how efficient everything is,” Conoboy said. “How hard-working and caring everyone is.”
The visit was particularly meaningful for offensive lineman Silvano Altamirano, the lone California native on the Terps roster.
“It’d be good to just do it by yourself,” he said. “But having the whole team get together and do something like this is special.”