NFL player Jon Feliciano helps pack meals for Feeding South Florida

San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Jon Feliciano said he will never forget his experiences with homelessness and hunger during his teenage years. Feliciano, who has played football at Western High School in Davie, at the University of Miami and the past nine seasons in the NFL, recently volunteered with his family at Feeding South Florida’s community kitchen at its Palm Beach County warehouse in Boynton Beach.

Feliciano was joined by his 6-year-old daughter, Shawn, and wife, Shannon, during the volunteer shift as they helped to prep, cook and pack meals for delivery to community members.

“This is something near and dear to my heart,” he said. “I grew up poor, and there were times I did not have food to eat and we didn’t have lights or water. I was homeless for a little bit in high school. It was always a struggle to find that next meal. This place feeds a lot of people and to be a part of it makes me feel good. The first time I volunteered here, it left a big impact on me. This organization is something we have been part of and will continue to do.”

Feliciano said it was special to share the experience with his daughter.

“My daughter does not understand at the moment how I grew up or how a lot of people grew up around the world,” he said. “I thought it was important for her to be here and to start shaping her mind. My daughter always talks about helping people. I am going to try to help her learn the right way. I know this is something that will stick with her. In this climate, a lot of people want to impact and change the world, and to be in our neighborhood and community is the way to start.”

Feliciano, who is originally from East Meadow, New York, recalled his time at Western High School in Davie where he received support from school staff members.

“School was one of the best things for me because I knew I would have two meals there,” he said. “The teachers and principals helped me a lot. I was close with my basketball coach, Steve Todd, and football coach, Rashad West, and they were both big influences in my life and mentors. I still talk to them. Strength coach Jeremy Herring helped me. I do not make it to the league or do anything I am doing now without the people at Western. I now go back to the school and try to make an impact for the kids there.”

Feliciano also spoke about his message of hard work and determination.

“The No. 1 thing I tell people is the concept of delayed gratification,” he said. “When I was younger, I just kept my head down and just worked. I knew one day all that work and staying out of trouble was going to pay off. It was a dream come true playing football, especially for the University of Miami.”

Feliciano was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders in 2015. He also previously played for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants. He joined the 49ers in 2023 and was a starting guard in Super Bowl LVIII.

“I had a lot of family and ex-teammates there and it was a great experience to play in the Super Bowl,” he said. “Obviously, it was tough to not win it. I am running out of time and I want to get it done.”

Feeding South Florida CEO Paco Vélez said he appreciated the support from Feliciano. The nonprofit organization has a mission to end hunger in South Florida by providing immediate access to nutritious food, leading hunger and poverty advocacy efforts and transforming lives through innovative programming and education.

“It was an amazing opportunity to host Jon and his family,” Vélez said. “Jon has volunteered before and what is truly impressive is we have someone who played in the Super Bowl and he is using his platform to give back to the community. He does not forget his struggles and where he comes from. It’s very moving and very inspiring.”

In South Florida, there are over 1.2 million food insecure individuals as well as 1 in 9 individuals who remain uncertain about where they will get their next meal due to inflation, increased housing costs, rising fuel prices and the strained supply chain.

“Prices have not come down and families are figuring out the new cost of living,” Vélez said. “Wages have not caught up to the rate of inflation and folks are struggling to stay in their homes and pay their utilities. We want to help families and others in workforce housing with the basic need of food and to offset costs by decreasing their food budget so they can have more stability and afford to stay in their homes.”

As the leading hunger-relief organization in South Florida, the nonprofit serves Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Feeding South Florida unveiled its state-of-the-art, 5,000-square-foot community kitchen in 2020. The kitchen helps with the mission of ending hunger in South Florida by serving up to 20,200 meals per day for children’s after-school and summer programs, meals for older adults and medically tailored meals. The kitchen also provides critical meals during disaster response.The multipurpose community kitchen is a meal production site, holds a culinary training program, healthy cooking classes, and also serves as a social enterprise catering and incubator space for graduates of the program.

“We have an incredible team,” Vélez said. “We have a lot of folks in the warehouse and a lot of great truck drivers. We have a lot of support from our volunteers and they’re an extension of our team every single day. We have members of our team who risked their health during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am super proud of our team. Food and security is on the forefront of our thoughts and to make sure families have food on the table.”

Visit feedingsouthflorida.org.