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Bay Area organization provides pregame meals to underserved student-athletes

By FOX 13 News Staff
Published  September 23, 2024 1:48pm EDT
What's Right with Tampa Bay
FOX 13 News

Providing meals to student-athletes

Mark Wilson reports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - So many student-athletes give their heart and soul when they play, but sometimes it's with an empty stomach. That's why a local grassroots organization is helping provide them with a pregame meal.

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will what? Change," said Micah Poole, sharing a message of hope to the Gibbs High School football team. "They're your teammates. You can't look down on them, you can't get upset with them. You got to keep them lifted up and keep them motivated. Why? Because we are trying to do what tonight?"

Poole is part of Huddle Touch, a program that connects with churches to cook and provide meals to underserved student-athletes at Bay Area schools. But he also serves up inspiring messages.

"I try to let them know that adversity is going to come," said Poole. "I try to be real with them. It's going to happen. It's coming. If you're not ready, get ready. And the goal for me is to make sure they're prepared when it comes. That's my message, just to make sure they're ready."

Poole understands what it means to overcome adversity. As a high school star, he played his senior year with a torn ACL. In college, he endured three surgeries and even faced homelessness along the way, yet he kept on pushing.

"Had to sleep in my car, had to figure some things out. I still had to go to school because I was already paying for [it] and I was working three jobs without really having a roof over my head. Had to stay with my sister here and there, take showers at the gym," Poole explained.

Now, he's teaching student-athletes how faith guided him through those challenges.

"It's about showing that compassion and also meeting a need. There's a need in the communities," said Poole. "There's a lack of help, there's a lack of hands. And the goal is to just be that hand, be that person that kind of feels – the gap for those student athletes and the families who are coming up short."

The student-athletes truly appreciate his guidance.

"I'm very thankful for that. And I know that you could be doing anything else when they come in to feed us," said Mathis Roberts, Gibbs High School football player. "That's very good. It's good to have people around in a community like that."

"Appreciate the fact that after we eat or during the time that we eat in here, give a speech to get us motivated," said Jamir Hudson, Gibbs High School football player. "And after that I will pray. And I really, I really appreciate that. I think it helps get us going for the game."

For Poole, it's a simple play.

"What we do is we do two things. We give a meal and a message with the hopes of sharing and showing the love of Christ to the student-athletes," Poole said.

A love that he hopes will help them score big success in the future.

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