By Rose Lawlor
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee and Philadelphia Eagles safety Rodney McLeod and his wife, Erika, have a lengthy track record of giving back to their community, particularly in Philadelphia, Prince George’s County, MD, Camden and Trenton, NJ. Just last week, shortly after learning he’d torn his ACL, Rodney and Erika visited local supermarket Brown’s ShopRite in North Philadelphia to pay the grocery bills of unsuspecting customers.
Rodney and Erika have been paying it forward all month long through their Change Our Future Foundation’s 12 Days of Christmas campaign, which has also included winter coat giveaways, student scholarships, and meals for front-line workers and those staying in shelters. Change Our Future also lead campaigns focused on youth development, voter registration, and cancer research.
“This has helped me put things in perspective a lot,” McLeod said. “It has helped me re-evaluate my situation, my injury, and say, ‘Things could be a lot worse. You could be out here with barely any money in your pocket, struggling to provide and get groceries and put clothes on your back,’ but this is what you have going on and it’s the worst in your life. It was a sight to see and I’m glad to be a part of that.”
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