Apparently, the spirit of giving extends past the football field for the 2010 Florida Gators
In the midst of a season in which the Gators have turned the ball over 21 times through 11 games — Ole Miss is the only Southeastern Conference team with more giveaways — members of the team spent nearly two hours at the St. Augustine Church in Gainesville Monday afternoon, putting together packages of food and amenities for local families in need.
Orchestrated by Father David J. Ruchinski, the Pastor of St. Augustine Church and Catholic Student Center in Gainesville, and aided by the presence of a few dozen able-bodied college football players, the event helped provide dozens of families with some much-needed holiday assistance.
In the lobby of the church, located just across the street from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, players lined up on their off-day to stuff canned vegetables, toiletries and Gator-themed T-shirts into brown paper grocery bags and, for the most part, seemed happy enough to be there.
Quarterback John Brantley and receiver Omarius Hines worked efficiently, churning out bags with impressive swiftness. Running back Chris Rainey flirted with female church volunteers in between loads. Ahmad Black, the senior safety, got competitive, chirping at a group of teammates that no one had loaded as many bags as he had.
Even head coach Urban Meyer pitched in, humping bags two at a time into a waiting trailer, where they would be transported to St. Francis House, Catholic Charities and St. Vincent de Paul and later distributed.
For members of the church staff, many of whom snapped cell-phone photos of the players as they jovially worked through the afternoon, it appeared to be a nice start to the holiday season.
And for a Florida team hoping to close its regular season with a victory over rival Florida State on Saturday, the good karma generated by a day spent helping certainly can’t hurt.