Saints QB Drew Brees and his wife donate $5 million to Louisiana for coronavirus relief

Drew Bress and his wife are doing their part to fight COVID-19

Drew Brees and his wife Brittany announced on Thursday that they will be committing $5 million to the State of Louisiana for relief efforts to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In his social media announcement of the financial commitment, Brees also encouraged his followers to "all do our part, maintain hope, and get through this together. 

After "considerable research and conversations with local organizers," Brees notes that this money will "be mobilizing our partnerships with Second Harvest Food Bank, Ochsner Health Systems, Walk-Ons, Jimmy Johns, Smalls Sliders and Waitr to prepare and deliver over 10,000 meals per day throughout Louisiana." 

Specifically, they will be looking to feed children in meal programs, seniors and families in need. Brees also said they will continue to do this"for as long as it takes." 

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Brittany and I are committing $5,000,000 to the State of Louisiana in 2020. The priority now is helping our communities get through this tough time. After considerable research and conversations with local organizations, we will be mobilizing our partnerships with Second Harvest Food Bank, Ochsner Health Systems, Walk-Ons, Jimmy Johns, Smalls Sliders and Waitr to prepare and deliver over 10,000 meals per day throughout Louisiana for as long as it takes to children on meal programs, seniors, and families in need. Let’s all do our part, maintain hope, and get through this together.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on Mar 26, 2020 at 8:31am PDT

According to CBS affiliate WWL-TV, there have been a total of 2,305 cases of the coronavirus and 83 deaths related to the pandemic in the state as of Thursday, March 26. New Orleans, is looked at as one of the epicenters of the disease in the south with 827 cases and 37 COVID-19 relates deaths. The Louisiana Department of Health also recently reported the state's first coronavirus-related loss of someone under the age of 18.

The Brees family's $5 million donation is one of the largest seen during this pandemic and one of the latest coming from the NFL community. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife Ciara have also done their part to combat the virus by donating one million meals to Seattle's Food Lifeline.