Jaelan Phillips has only been in Philadelphia for less than a month, but he is already making an impact in the local community.
Before Thanksgiving, the outside linebacker and his fiancé, Samantita, volunteered at Philabundance in South Philly, where they helped sort through food drive donations.
Philabundance's mission is to "drive hunger from the community today and end hunger for good," and Phillips helped continue that ahead of the holidays.
"It's incredible to be able to come here," Phillips said after volunteering. "Obviously, as NFL athletes, we have an incredible platform to make a difference. Then Philadelphia, being so passionate about the Eagles, so passionate about the community, being able to come here and package food. Right now, the way the country's going, there's a lot of food insecurity, a lot of need. To be able to come here and help out doing this is really amazing."
Phillips joined about 20 other staff and volunteers to sort donations. Once all the items are in their respective bins, they will be packaged for pickup and distributed across nine counties.
"It's really exciting for our staff, our volunteers, to see Jaelan joining the efforts and putting his all behind helping the community," said Lauren Webb, the Chief Food Sourcing Officer at Philabundance. "We're excited to have him here."
Phillips is heavily involved in community work. He started the Jaelan Phillips Foundation, which empowers youth through music education and sports programs, two things he is passionate about.
In 2022, Phillips was the Miami Dolphins' Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. His work while with the Dolphins included doing a 100-mile bike ride for the Dolphins Challenge Cancer event, working with incarcerated youth, investment in marginalized communities, and more.
Giving back has also been a huge priority for the 26-year-old, and his impact isn't stopping after being traded.
"We have this big platform to be able to make a difference," he said. "So, I think that it's kind of our responsibility to lead [by] example and to inspire other people to give back as well. I've always loved it. I grew up doing community service, so being in the league, being able to do it more, has been a great privilege."
Phillips isn't the only Eagle getting involved before Thanksgiving. Here are some players who used part of the $250,000 donation gifted from Amazon for playing on Black Friday to give back to the local community:
Boys and Girls Club Philadelphia
Quinyon Mitchell, Fred Johnson, and Joshua Uche each participated in a Thanksgiving Meal Distribution.
ACME Markets Foundation
Saquon Barkley did a Thanksgiving Meal Distribution with the donations going to the Norristown School District.
Love Pray Peace Project
Tyler Steen served a hot Thanksgiving meal to local veterans.
Salvation Army
Jordan Davis participated in a Thanksgiving Meal Distribution.
Chester Community Distribution and Kipp School
Nakobe Dean served a turkey dinner for Chester Community Distribution and did a Thanksgiving Meal Distribution at the Kipp School for the local community.
The Philadelphia Community
Jalyx Hunt donated Thanksgiving meals and sides, along with clothes and coats.
Eagles rookies distributed 100 Thanksgiving meals to families at the Parkside Association of Philadelphia in partnership with Silvi Materials. — Written by Matt Ryan
