All-Pro Cornerback Richard Sherman Donates Over $27,000 for Student Lunches in California & Tacoma

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On the field, four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman is known for his tough hits and talk, but off the field, this dedicated father of two has been the guiding force behind “Blanket Coverage,” the Richard Sherman Family Foundation, which has purchased school supplies and clothing for low-income children and given out basic necessities to homeless people in Washington state and California.

While Sherman has been with the San Francisco 49ers since 2018, he has not forgotten the community that gave his first NFL home at the Seattle Seahawks.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Sherman not only paid off $20,000 of student lunch debt at Tacoma schools; he also paid almost $7,500 to eliminate cafeteria debt at a school in Santa Clara, California, where the 49ers stadium is located.

Giving back is nothing new for Sherman. According to his Foundation website, Sherman credits a visit by legendary L.A. Laker Magic Johnson to his high school in Compton, California, for inspiring him to follow his dreams and help those in need.

So when his foundation discovered that three food banks in Seattle and Tacoma were running low on supplies just before the holidays, the foundation stepped in. “It has been incredible to see how our donation has sparked a big movement,” Sherman said in a press release by the NFL Player’s Association. “[It] has driven others to donate as well. No child should ever go hungry.”

Covering student cafeteria debts at Tacoma Public Schools and Cabrillo Middle School in Santa Clara, California, were also part of Sherman’s belief that hunger should never get in the way of students’ studies.

A letter from Sherman’s Foundation to Cabrillo Middle School’s Nutrition Services explained, “We have found that eliminating student lunch debt is one way to help assist students and their families in relieving some of the stress that comes with attending school.”

Stan Garber, the principal of Cabrillo Middle School, got to receive the check in person from Sherman at the 49ers museum. “It’s the most generous thing to happen for these kids, there’s plenty in need and he didn’t neglect them, it was the perfect way to give back and help them,” Garber told ABC News.

“The last thing any child should have to worry about is being able to afford eating breakfast and lunch at school,” Sherman noted in his letter to Cabrillo. “We aim to do our part in eliminating that obstacle.”

Beyond these good deeds, which saw Sherman named as the NFL Players Association MVP for week 11 of the 2019–2020 season, the cornerback has also been involved in helping out kids from his hometown of Compton.

When a Pop Warner football club, Hub City 6U, created a GoFundMe campaign to help finance their travel to the National Youth Championship in Florida, Sherman not only donated $5,000 from his foundation but also encouraged his millions of social media followers to help out.

Sherman was particularly pleased to help the team, as they have a strong focus on academics as a prerequisite for eligibility. Sherman himself graduated second in his class from Dominguez High School with a GPA of 4.2

“It’s important to motivate them and make sure they understand that academics is a huge part of life and success moving forward,” Sherman said in his NFLPA press release. “I didn’t want finances to be the reason they didn’t get a reward for all their hard work and dedication.” With his help, the team was able to raise the $30,000 needed to participate.

The NFLPA noted that Sherman’s Foundation has touched thousands of children just this year, “[donating] more than 15,000 backpacks, including providing 16 low-income schools and more than 2,500 students with backpacks and school supplies since the start of the 2019 school year.”