BALTIMORE — Some of the Ravens' youngest fans got to see them in person Monday night but not on the field like normal, instead they got to have Thanksgiving dinner.
Ravens running back Gus ‘The Bus’ Edwards partnered with Scotts Branch Elementary School to host a Thanksgiving dinner for the kids and their families.
“To be able to give back to the kids that was in a similar situation as me is a great feeling," said Edwards.
You could see the excitement on every kids face as they got to see one of their favorite players up close and personal.
“Everyone in here knows exactly who he was so now they feel like he’s a brother. I've already heard some of them ask will you come back and help me with math and he said yes," said Lauren Tillman, Principal at Scott's Branch Elementary.
Edwards says giving back in this way is important to him, having the chance to connect with kids that look up to him is the motivation.
“We got some younger football players in here and just seeing a familiar face I know what it could do to them. It could motivate them to keep going, make it seem like to goal is easier to reach," Edwards said.
He also brought along a teammate, Ravens' running back Justice Hill, who says he wouldn’t miss an opportunity to help out other families in need.
“It's purpose driven, you know you play a sport but at the end of the day you just want to help others and that's all I do it for, just to give back. Give my time, give my resources and just be a blessing to other people," said Hill.
They weren’t the only players giving back, over at Belmont Elementary School linebacker Roquan Smith also held a Thanksgiving dinner.
“We are a Ravens school, we celebrate our Baltimore Ravens. We absolutely love them. We have Purple Friday’s so when we said that we had the Baltimore Ravens' Roquan Smith coming here, our students and our community went wild," said Tiffany Etheridge, Belmont Elementary principal.
Smith says the holidays are an important time for families to connect and being able to help those families have a Thanksgiving meal means is his Thanksgiving blessing.
“Just to be able to come out, hang out with different families, mingle, I know there is nothing like quality family time and also being able to supplement some of their Thanksgiving needs so its just an awesome feeling," said Smith.
100 turkeys were also given to families at the end of the dinner at Belmont Elementary.
