By T. Scott Boatright
More than 50 Louisiana Tech football players came through in the clutch — a time of need — as the city of Ruston celebrated the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
Lincoln Parish Schools were out for the holiday, but the Bulldogs pitched in to hand out lunches to members of the Boys and Girls Clubs on North Central Louisiana.
“That’s why we did it, because this would have been the third day out of school for the children and we know that the food insecurity in low-income housing areas is tight … is tough,” said Janet Wilson, director of resource development for the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Central Louisiana.
“(LA Tech football coach) Sonny Cumbie had contacted (B&GC director) Eldonte (Osborne) a few weeks ago saying he wanted his players to again help in passing out this food. We know there are people out there struggling to buy groceries and to buy gas for their cars. There are communities in our area that now truly need us more than ever with the economic situation we’re living in today.”
There were 125 lunches prepared in the B&GC kitchen by cook Monique Johnson.
“She volunteered to work on her holiday and get in there early this morning and make all of those lunches,” Johnson said.
Osborne, a former star linebacker at Louisiana Tech, expressed his appreciation for the team effort.
“Service is what we do every day at the BGC,” Osborne said. “Today it was an honor to serve with the Tech football team.”
The Tech football players passed out lunches at The Blue Building at Greenwood Park and the surrounding neighborhood as well as at Mt. Zion Traveler Baptist Church and its surrounding neighborhoods.
North Central Louisiana Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors member Wilbert Ellis, a College Baseball Hall of Fame Coach from Grambling State University, talked to both the LA Tech students as well as youth receiving lunches.
“This is what it’s all about – a community coming together to look out for its own,” Ellis said “I can’t say enough about the Louisiana Tech football team and the entire Lincoln Parish community for coming though and doing the right thing for the youth of our parish.”
