University of Georgia Athletics
Jennings Thankful He Can Help Others
November 24, 2016 | Football
Bulldog staffer Jonas Jennings spends time each year by giving back to the community he grew up in through the gift of Thanksgiving turkeys.
Nov. 24, 2016
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Jonas Jennings knows his way around a turkey, as you might expect of a former Georgia and NFL offensive lineman that played the game at over 300 pounds.
"I've got a Green Egg, man," he said last week, referring to the Big Green Egg line of grills, "and I smoke the turkey. I put a turkey on there or I deep-fry one, however you want it."
A big, big man, now Georgia's director of player development under coach Kirby Smart, Jennings has a heart to match the frame and personality. If he's been called a "teddy bear" once in his life he's surely been called it 10,000 times, but the description fits.
Jennings spent last weekend where he was needed and where he most wanted to be. He spent part of it tending to his duties with the Bulldogs who had a home game at Sanford Stadium, but he also went home to College Park on Sunday.
Home to where it all started for him, something he's never forgotten. Home was a College Park housing project, "from when I was born until I came to the University of Georgia," Jennings said. It's still home to members of his big extended family (one of his grandmothers had 16 children), still in his heart, which is why for more than a decade Jennings has returned home to give away hundreds of turkeys before Thanksgiving.
That's where he was Sunday, handing out 300-plus 10-pounders to the current families in a College Park housing project that had such a big impact on his life.
"I got in the NFL and I was blessed to even be in that position. Just coming from where I've come from, I just thought, you know, in my mind `charity,' you always hear `charity,' always hear `charity' -- in my mind, charity starts at home," he said. "And not just in the localized place where you might be playing or where you may be making the money.
"I just wanted to make sure that my roots and everything understood that I cared about them and I know they had a lot to do with my success, just growing up that way and growing up over there where people ... it took a village back then to raise you."
Philanthropy and giving back are in large part the cornerstones of Jennings' post-NFL life. Jennings spent four seasons with Buffalo Bills, who drafted him in the third round in 2001, and four with the San Francisco 49ers, starting at least 11 games in five of his eight seasons.
He started giving back to College Park before his career was over, using some of his NFL fame to help out his community.
"It's funny, when you're in the league and you've got the camera on you and you're a little more popular, a lot more people want to get in with you and work with you and that sort of thing, so back then there were a few sponsors that wanted to get in and maybe throw a cake in, along with everything," he said. "We used to give whole meals, like turkey, ham and things like that, but it was also about teaching people to be more self-sufficient. I'm going to give you the turkey and you cook it, right? You've got to find a way to do it."
Jennings said he doesn't remember the first year he gave away food prior to Thanksgiving -- he's "not the type to keep count" -- but he remembers how good it felt to see all those smiles.
"From the first time, just to see everyone line up and coming around at different times," he said. "And the best part is it's probably made up of 80 percent single moms over there and the other 15 to 20 percent are senior citizens, so they definitely need our help and it's always good to give back to the elders that definitely paved the way for us."
Jennings has been recognized by College Park a couple of times for his work in the community, whether it's giving away turkeys or Christmas toys, which he's partnered with hip-hop artist Ludacris to do, or running free football camps. But none of this is about being recognized for doing good things.
"It's just, `Hey, I'm thinking about you and I haven't forgotten about you,'" he said.
It's similar to what Jennings is doing at Georgia, helping the current Bulldogs become better men on and off the field and helping them understand the importance of giving back.
"We know he's not doing this for the money, we know he's doing it because he cares about us," Georgia outside linebacker Davin Bellamy said. "We really respect him."
Giving away turkeys to those that can use a little help isn't solving any major problems, but for one of the special days of the year "it's just a chance to know that everybody's got something to eat," he said, adding with a big laugh, "One thing about the turkey, now, you can eat off that turkey for a week"
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
