LSU star quarterback Joe Burrow was awarded the Heisman Trophy on Saturday and got very emotional during his acceptance speech. Burrow took the time to highlight the southeast part of Ohio where he grew up and noted that it is a very impoverished area of the state. People took Burrow's comments and emotions to heart, as over $260,000 has been donated to the Athens County Food Pantry in Athens, Ohio since the speech, according to CBS News.
"It's a very, very impoverished area," Burrow said on Saturday with tears in his eyes. "The poverty rate is almost two times the national average. There are so many people there that don't have a lot, and I'm up here for all those kids in Athens and Athens County that go home to not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school. You guys can be up here, too."
Following Burrow's speech, an Athens resident began a Facebook campaign to let the world know about the problems in the area.
"Let's answer Joey's call to action by supporting a local nonprofit that serves food to more than 5,000 households in Athens County each year," an organizer wrote on Facebook, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
By Monday night, more than 5,900 people had ended up donating to the food pantry, totaling over $260,000. The Athens County Food Pantry served 5,702 people in 2018 and around a third of that group is comprised of children.
Burrow won the Heisman Trophy by the highest margin in the award's history. The Tigers signal caller put together a historic season in which he completed 77.9 percent of his passes for 4,715 yards and 48 touchdowns.
Burrow also led LSU to a 13-0 record and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff where they will face Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 28.