By Kristen Sheft for Titans Online.com
 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Two-time Pro Bowl safety Michael Griffin hosted *Tennessee's Kickoff Dinner, *a celebrity fundraiser benefitting "Sacks 4 Kids" Thursday night at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nashville.
• Photos
"Sacks 4 Kids" discreetly provides bags of healthy foods and snacks to disadvantaged students in Metro high schools to take home on the weekends. These bags are provided for kids who come from dire home circumstances that prevent them from having access to nutritious meals at home.
Currently, Sacks 4 Kids feeds 300 students in four local Nashville schools. The program is operated in conjunction with "Packed With Love," a local non-profit organization.
Attendees Thursday night posed for pictures and mingled with Griffin, along with his fellow teammates Jurrell Casey, Delanie Walker, George Wilson and Coty Sensabaugh. They also bid on live and silent auction items, including autographed memorabilia from Hall-of-Famers Bob Griese and Eric Dickerson, as they ushered in the start of another NFL season.
For Griffin, raising awareness for this cause takes on personal significance.
"I remember when I was in school there were kids that needed help, whether it was with lunch or not being able to eat at home," he said. "So, I have experience with this stuff because I've seen it growing up."
Now in his second year with the program, Griffin envisions big things for Sacks 4 Kids.
"We raised $16,000 last year, but the more the better. Hopefully this year we can raise more money, continue to feed more and more kids, and go to more schools around Nashville," he said. "It started small. We started with one school, but now we're in four schools. We're just going to continue from there and feed more schools."
