ORANGE PARK – The students and staff at Lakeside Elementary didn’t need an award show to appreciate the impact and commitment Arik Armstead made to their community.

But when the NFL picked him from a group of 32 other players during Thursday night’s annual Awards Ceremony ahead of Super Bowl LIX, it rekindled their recent encounter with the 6-foot-7, 291-pound Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end.

Armstead received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his philanthropy and accomplishments on the field. Assistant principal Beth Warner said that the Armstead Academic Project targeted Lakeside to help feed 40 children during the weekend from Christmas through the end of the school year.
“He's so deserving, such a humble and caring man,” Warner said. “His wife is wonderful as well. He’s made a huge, huge impact on our community.”

The effort included a $20,000 donation to the school before the Jaguars’ game against the New York Jets on Dec. 15.

"Through the Armstead Academic Project, my mission has always been to provide students with the resources they need to succeed,” Armstead said after receiving the award. “This recognition is a testament to that work, but there's still much more to do. I'm committed to using my platform to create real change — because the work doesn't stop here.

"Tonight is about all of you in this room and everyone watching at home. I believe in humanity. I believe that we're all more alike than we are different, and I believe that all of us have the power to be the change that we want to see in our society. ... Let's define success by new metrics, not by the things that we acquire, but by how many people we positively impact."

Warner said the connection with Armstead started with an email to then-General Manager Trent Baalke.

“This is a funny story. The social worker (Tanairi Hernandez) and I have been discussing ways to send some food home with students we thought might be struggling over the weekends,” Warner said. “We are where our school gets free breakfast and free lunch. How could we send some stuff home on the weekends, with hard times and food being expensive? So, she asked me, ‘What do you think about sending a letter to the Jaguars?’ I said I think that's great. Just out of curiosity, I asked who you sent it to. Do they have somebody in an office who is a liaison who works with people and different groups that might want money? She said, ‘I'm not sure his name was Baalke,’ and I got the biggest kick. Well, there you go, girl. Go big or go home.”

Warner said Baalke forwarded the request to the team’s Community Department and told them to make this happen. It eventually wound up with Armstead’s foundation.

“We were looking for $5,000 to go through and get some food,” Warner said. “The Armsteads picked it up and then donated $20,000. We were floored.”

A big part of the project included a night of food packing at EverBank Stadium. Armstead, Jaguar and Lakeside volunteers worked to fill grocery bags with jars of spaghetti sauce, tuna, peanut butter, jelly, cereal, Hamburger Helper, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and canned vegetables and fruit.

The food is sent home every Friday. Some parents pick it up, while some students take it home. Along with food from Waste Not Want Not, it’s enough food to supplement a family’s needs for the entire weekend.

“It’s been remarkable,” Warner said. “It’s enough to help a family stretch their weekend budget.”

Armstead had been nominated for the honor five times. The NFL will award as much as $265,000 to his charity to further his efforts to help children in Northeast Florida and his hometown of Sacramento, California.

Armstead often appears at local schools for “Storytime with Arik Armstead.” He’s also donated $50,000 to explore STEAM education and social-emotional wellness through AAP and Touchdowns for Tomorrow to highlight the importance of financial literacy.