When Zach Ertz arrived in Arizona midseason following a trade from the Eagles, his priority was to learn the playbook and get situated in his new environment across the country.
Off the field, Ertz aimed to ingratiate himself with the Arizona community by launching the Score More n’ Feed More initiative with his wife, Julie, donating 150,000 meals in total.
The initiative is back for another year with the increased goal of donating 500,000 meals to food banks in Arizona. The total meal count is already at 70,000 after Week 3.
The number of meals is determined by the number of touchdowns the Cardinals score this season. When a touchdown is scored, 5,000 meals are donated, but for every Ertz touchdown, 10,000 meals are donated.
“I think it went well last year,” Ertz said. “Philanthropy is important to Julie and I. We started our foundation years ago to give back to our communities. We’re doing a big project in Philadelphia, so in Arizona, we wanted to make a tangible impact immediately.
“We found out that one of six children faces hunger in Arizona. So it’s really important for us to address that issue. We’re really excited about it.”
According to Feed America, nearly 800,000 citizens in Arizona face hunger and of them, 269,610 are children. The whole point of Score More n’ Feed More is to decrease those numbers with delivered meals.
The campaign collaborates with the Ertz family foundation and The Athlete’s Corner, a nonprofit organization that works with professional athletes and teams to help families struggling mentally, physically, and spiritually.
“We love working with Zach and Julie,” Brennen Creer, Co-Founder and CEO of The Athletes’ Corner said. “They constantly strive to serve wherever they can and truly live out their faith. They perfectly embody the mission of The Athletes’ Corner, by using their platforms to help those who need it most.”