Marshawn Lynch Hands Out Hundreds of Turkeys in Hawaii

Former NFL star Marshawn Lynch has a reputation for helping out struggling communities, whether in Oakland or other areas. He continued this tradition on Monday with some meal donations in Hawaii. Beast Mode passed out 200 turkeys to people in need so they could have meals on Thanksgiving.

Rob DeMello of KHON posted a video on Twitter that showed the Super Bowl champion roaming Oahu’s streets with turkeys in hand. He wore a facemask and gloves to follow COVID-19 guidelines and donned a pair of his custom Beast Mode shorts. Once he handed out the available birds, he headed off for another destination.

Lynch and his Fam 1st Family Foundation teamed up with several partners to deliver the turkeys prior to Thanksgiving. The list includes Young’s Fish Market, Tamura Super Market, Barefoot League Hawaii and former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Chad Owens, who shined in college as a member of the Hawaii Warriors.

“Thanks Marshawn! You don’t seem to be the kind of guy that does this for recognition, may God give you more so you can continue to help others,” one person commented on Twitter after seeing the footage of Lynch. Many others expressed adoration for the former NFL star and his continued devotion to helping others.

Considering that the video surfaced on Twitter, there were some critics responding to Lynch’s work. They took issue with how he wore his mask and his decision to hand out turkeys on the street instead of taking them to a food pantry. However, these critics were fewer in number as the majority applauded Lynch’s donations.

The donations in Thanksgiving are only the latest example of the former running back using his fame to help others. He also previously partnered with Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters to put on a free carnival for families in Oakland. The two did so in 2019 before the start of the season.

The pair brought in big attractions that would generally be found at state and county fairs, and they didn’t charge the kids or families for entry or anything else. There were rock climbing walls, slides and Zorb balls in swimming pools. Additionally, Lynch and Peters also provided free burgers, cotton candy, and other food to keep the kids energized and excited as they enjoyed the various attractions.

“Everything is free,” Peters told reporters during the carnival. “The food, the rides, I mean, the sno cones. The kids get to come and enjoy themselves for two to three hours. But this was [Lynch’s] idea from when he got elected to go in the NFL. This was his idea. I thought it was going to be a little bitty carnival, but actually, when the rides started coming through the gate, I realized it was bigger than I thought it was going to be.”