Hakeem Nicks jumped off the trailer of a huge Stop & Shop truck that had been filled with 1,500 turkeys donated to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. He was in Hillside, N.J., on the Giants’ day off before practice begins in earnest for Sunday night’s game against the Packers.
The leap down was a good four feet to hard concrete. It normally wouldn’t be given a second thought, but considering Nicks’ battle with leg injuries this season, coach Tom Coughlin might have winced at the scene.
Fortunately, the jump was made without incident, offering a happy ending to a day devoted to a worthy cause. Nicks, along with teammates Chris Snee, Ramses Barden and Henry Hynoski, helped unload the truck, lending their celebrity and muscles to aid those in need following Hurricane Sandy.
“You can always give back,” Nicks said after handling the frozen birds. “I know where I came from and I know what it’s like to be struggling. That’s why I do stuff like this, to show that you can overcome and that there’s always a way.”
It was a meaningful appearance for Nicks, the Giants wide receiver. He knows about tough times having spent part of his childhood at a homeless shelter before growing up in the tough streets of Charlotte, N.C. His father and brothers fell victim to the rough environment and did time for drugs and weapons violations. At various times Nicks lived with his grandmother and stepmother. But he used his football talent to attend the University of North Carolina and earn a spot with the Giants. His life experience has made him value his family and the good times they spent together.
“To me, Thanksgiving is family time,” Nicks said. “I’m big on family. As long as you’ve got family, you can be thankful for everyone and everything around you. That’s what’s most important.”
Kathleen DiChiara, who began the work of the Community FoodBank out of her station wagon in 1975, said the turkeys will be funneled to various charities working with residents impacted by Sandy.
“So many people are having such a hard time right now,” she said. “Our densely populated urban areas, the working poor, have been hit hard because they lost everything in their refrigerators and they lost income. They’re below the radar because they might be renting apartments that are intact but lost everything. These are people who live on the edge and this tipped them over.”
Nicks said his family and inner circle survived the storm without suffering much damage. But he prays for those less fortunate. It was prayer that helped him make the right choices at a young age and fulfill his dream of playing in the NFL.
“I don’t really dwell on the negative stuff anymore,” he said. “Those were just times in my life when I went through what I went through and I overcame it. It’s about families sticking together and praying. I learned that at a young age. My grandmother was always telling me about prayer. And my stepmom played a big role in teaching me prayer when I moved to North Carolina.”
A man of faith, Nicks is confident of a good finish to what has been a sub-par season. A foot injury during the offseason caused him to miss most of a training camp. Ankle and knee injuries have limited his availability and effectiveness during the season. It would be easy to get wrapped up in his career, but that’s not who he is.
“That’s why I like to do stuff like this,” he said. “It keeps me in remembrance of people that are less fortunate. You can easily start to dwell on your success and forget about the other things going on such as now. So when I have an opportunity, I help out whenever I can.”
It’s what family would do.