For first time this offseason, the New Orleans Saints held a big community event.
The Saints, in partnership with Rebuilding Together New Orleans, teamed up to refurbish the Trinity Community Center (managed by The 18th Ward) in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans.
The event featured current Saints players and coaches, working together to enhance key areas of the facility, helping ensure it remains a safe, welcoming and vibrant resource for local families.
“This obviously is a special community in our eyes and so any chance we get to do this we are always going to hop on it,” Saints head coach Kellen Moore said.
The team spent three hours working on the Trinity Community Center.
They painted, raked, shoveled dirt, worked on landscape and put together furniture.
“They see us on Sundays, they see us in helmets, but they don’t see us outside a helmet actually being in the community, I think it’s great because it’s bigger than us,” Saints tight end Juwan Johnson said.
“There’s a lot of things we can help out around in the community, something small like this is a big help for them, especially the kids around the community,” Saints right tackle Taliese Fuaga said.
Something small is always big for this tight knit community and Moore can see that.
“I think for all of us a chance to just get to know this community even better, obviously I’m fortunate to be here and obviously it’s still within your first year so any chance you get to connect with this community I think you get to learn it more and more and grow and so it’s been really special to me.”
It’s also been very special to the players who’ve been on this team for a few years.
“You love New Orleans it’s gonna love you back, you put the work into it, you know hopefully it will work for you as well,” Saints kicker Blake Grupe said.
“I love being a Saint because it’s a true semblance of a city breathing the team and the city breathing the team,” Saints linebacker Demario Davis said.
All the players and coaches enjoyed their time working on the Trinity Community Center, including Moore, who spent a lot of time painting inside.
“My painting style is not great, we’re putting in a lot of slow work there, I don’t have the height that some of these other guys have so I got to differ to the some of the lineman to do the higher stuff, it’s been good though.”
READ MORE:VIDEO REPORT: Saints players and coaches held first big offseason community event
