BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens and the Lady Ravens Association teamed up for the 11th annual Ravens Coat Giveaway at the Helping Up Mission homeless shelter on Monday, November 3, 2014.
Several Ravens players, including Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor, Eugene Monroe, Jah Reed, Justin Tucker Steve Smith, Sr. were on hand to distribute coats and cold weather gear to a group of Baltimore men in need.
Torrey Smith led off the day with six trivia questions about the Ravens players who were on hand. Six footballs signed by the players were given to the people who answered the questions correctly.
All of the coats were donated by the Ravens, and all of the hats and gloves were donated by Diakon Kathryn’s Kloset, a charity arm of Lutheran Social Ministries.
Many of the players were in good spirits despite coming off a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers the night before. In fact, to some it was a good way to help put things in perspective. Eugene Monroe took the time to talk about how important it is to take part in community events and how there’s a big picture.
“It means a lot to turn around from playing and get to do something like this. It’s more important than how I may feel right now. It really hits home on how important it is to be able to give back to people.”
Student athletes from the Dunbar High School football team were on hand to carry packages full of coats that were donated into the chapel to be given away by the Ravens players. The members of the Dunbar football team also served lunch to the homeless men in attendance.
The Helping Up Mission is one of Baltimore’s oldest and largest non-profit organizations. The organization has been in existence since 1885, when it first opened its doors to the city’s poor and homeless. The Helping Up Mission will serve Thanksgiving dinner later this month. If you would like to help provide meals for the homeless or make a donation, visit: www. helpingupmission.org.