The Denver Broncos’ rookie class spent Monday volunteering in the community as a part of the second annual Rookie Community Service Day.
The rookies’ first stop of the day took place at the Food Bank of the Rockies, where they split into two groups, the offense and the defense, and took a tour of the facility.
“It’s huge,” tight end Jake Butt said of the the Food Bank of the Rockies facility. “I was getting some of these numbers, and how many millions of pounds of food they’re going to be pushing out each year. It’s wonderful.”
“It actually almost looks like a shopping center almost,” cornerback Brendan Langley said of the facility. “It’s a little bit bigger than the ones I’m used to.”
According to Langley, he helps out at a local food bank when he goes home to Georgia. Community service is something that Langley feels like he has to do.
“It’s just something that’s important to me,” Langley said.
Following the tour, the offensive and the defensive rookies were brought back into a room where they packed up boxes of food to get them ready for distribution. Naturally, a competition emerged.
Despite a competition, Butt knew the real reason they were all together today was to form a bond while making a difference in the community.
“I think some this is some of the best bonding you can have,” Butt said. “Any time you can get together and work towards a common goal or a common cause – you add in the fact that we’re giving back and making an impact – that’s a wonderful bonding opportunity for us.”
Monday was the first community service outing for Butt as a member of the Broncos. He was no stranger to community service while a member of the Michigan Wolverines, something he feels like made him a better person.
“You go in doing that for them, trying to make an impact for these kids and you end up coming back a changed man yourself,” Butt said. “It’s always great.”
The rookies boxed up a total of 360 boxes of food for distribution, with the offense winning the challenge by preparing 203 of those boxes.
From there, the rookies headed over to the Denver Broncos Boys & Girls Club for a Papa John’s pizza party and a Dairy Queen ice cream celebration to wrap up their day.
Monday’s efforts speaks to what the Broncos organization is all about, Butt says.
“You feel lucky to play for an organization with such a deep history of success on the field, but the commitment to giving back off the field that’s something that you don’t see every year,” Butt said. “That speaks a lot about the values of this organization.”
