(NewsNation) — Legendary NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice is continuing to pay it back off the field after his extraordinary career.
Rice and his wife, Latisha Pelayo, recently wiped out more than $667,000 in school lunch debt across 103 schools nationwide, helping thousands of children.
“No child should ever step into a classroom hungry,” Rice said. “Our responsibility is to plant strong seeds for the next generation to thrive.”
Rice’s gesture was preceded by his visit to an elementary school to learn about issues regarding the students’ meals. Following the visit, he decided to help students throughout the Bay Area.
”I cried reading this,” said one person on social media. “We loved watching him make touchdowns, but this beats it all. There’s still good people in this world.”
After Rice’s actions, several Silicon Valley entrepreneurs announced a matching fund to continue erasing lunch debt in other California districts.
Rice has also joined 49ers legend Steve Young to help the Bay Area community spread awareness about food insecurity.