Donation made to Athens County Food Pantry spurred by

COLUMBUS (WCMH) — More than four months after the Heisman Trophy ceremony, the donations raised by Joe Burrow’s acceptance speech are playing an even greater role in Athens County.

Burrow, the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner, spoke about the poverty in Athens County.

“Coming from southeast Ohio, it’s a very impoverished area and the poverty rate is almost two times the national average,” he said at the ceremony. “There’s so many people there that don’t have a lot and I’m up here for all those kids in Athens, and Athens County, that go home to not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school. You guys can be up here, too.”

The speech prompted donations totaling more than $500,000 for the Athens County Food Pantry.

“Those donations have been incredibly helpful,” said Karin Bright, president of the Athens County Food Pantry. In December, Bright said the pantry served 480 families. She said the pantry served 647 families in March.

Bright attributes the rise in families served, in large part, to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and she says the donations prompted by Burrow’s speech are helping to keep up with the need.

“Without those donations, I don’t know where we would be,” she explained. “We might not have been able to help on a continual basis. We probably could have met our March numbers without too much difficulty, but ongoing and going down through the rest of the year, I think it’s going to make such a difference.”

Bright also said the pantry is helping to fulfill other gaps in services throughout the county. Ahead of Thursday’s NFL Draft, NBC4 spoke with Burrow about his speech, the result and how it is helping during the pandemic.

“You know, I had been thinking about that and how great it was to do it right before this, and how so many great people donated at a time that,” Burrow said. “We didn’t know that we needed it, but a few months down the road we really, really needed it.”

Burrow said the donations resulting from his speech have inspired him to be even more giving in the future.

“It was kind of the beginning of me understanding the platform that I have to help a lot of people,” he said. “I’ve been thinking a lot about how I can help more people in the future.”

In the short term, Burrow hopes those who can donate blood during the pandemic will do so.

“The Red Cross is now strapped for blood right, with all of this,” he said. “Please go donate if you can.”

Burrow, who is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, said he plans on watching at home with his family.