Even though the Saints can’t play in New Orleans yet because of Hurricane Ida’s effect on the region, it didn’t stop the organization and some of the players from donating their time and money to help out the community.
Saints owner Gayle Benson initially donated $1 million to the relief fund, which then sparked the Falcons, Ravens and Panthers organizations to each donate $1 million. The National Football League Organization additionally donated $1 million.
Apart from the owners donating money, Saints defensive end Cam Jordan announced Thursday on his Instagram account that he would give $40,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank in New Orleans to spread awareness about people who have gone hungry since the hurricane.
But that’s not all. Jordan will begin doing Cameo video messages for donations. Some of his videos are $4 to represent that one in four children in Louisiana deals with hunger issues. There will also be 23 higher-priced videos to represent the 23 parishes served by Second Harvest.
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Jordan typically charges $320 for his Cameo videos, so Cameo has decided to donate the difference. Jordan plans to continue raising money for non-profits.
Saints quarterback Jameis Winston and running back Alvin Kamara have not publicly donated money yet, but they did ask New Orleans’ Mayor LaToya Cantrell to let them know how they can help the community. Winston also spoke about Ida relief after practice in Jacksonville, Fla., this week.
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"I want to say thank you to all the first responders and grass-root organizations working in New Orleans right now to help our city be resilient," @Jaboowins' opened his press conference with a special message ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Dmq8Lyaton
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 8, 2021
“I want to say thank you to all the first responders, the people on the ground right now, and all the people in the grassroots organizations working in New Orleans to help our city be resilient," Winston said. "New Orleans, I know we’ve been through this before, but our culture is strong, and we are going to feed off of this adversity to make us stronger. We are with you. Everybody in Louisiana, we are with you. We’re going to represent you."
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The Saints will open their season Sunday in Jacksonville against the Packers. As of now, the Saints hope to return to Caesars Superdome by Week 4.