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July 29, 2024
NORTHEAST WISCONSIN – Armed with a hairnet, plastic aprons and a beard net, Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon, along with his wife, Gabrielle, and close friends and family, recently helped repackage bulk cereal at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin in Little Chute.
In conjunction with the recent volunteer work, the couple also announced they have started the Dillon Family Foundation – focusing on hunger relief.
AJ, who played his college ball at Boston College, was drafted by the Packers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft and recently signed a one-year deal in March to return to the team.
The man known to many as “Quadzilla” said officially launching the foundation was a long time coming.
“This is exciting,” he said. “This is probably something we’ve been talking about since I was a rookie. We wanted to make sure what we wanted our foundation to stand for – it’s about doing it right and finding the right people.”
The Dillon Family Foundation is a Texas nonprofit corporation operating through a fiscal sponsorship with Players Philanthropy Fund, a Maryland charitable trust recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt public charity.
“With Feeding America, we wanted to do more and have greater avenues to make a lasting impact,” Gabrielle said. “It’s nice AJ can use his platform as a professional athlete to make an impact. Being from Green Bay, I didn’t expect to have this platform to work with.”
AJ said the reason for picking hunger relief for the focus of the family’s foundation was twofold.
“No. 1, both Gabrielle and myself love food,” he laughed. “We started brainstorming about things we love and are passionate about – family and hunger are important to us. Growing up, both of our families always cooked together, and when you see people not having the necessary means to put a meal together and going hungry, that resonates with us.”
Starting a new foundation, AJ said, is much like starting a new business or job.
“It’s all about making sure that when you (start such a venture), you have the right people with you…,” he said. “Not everybody has the same philosophy about what’s best for a community, so we researched the best people and organizations we could partner with. I’m happy with the team we have around us, and I think it’s a good starting point for the Dillon Family Foundation for years to come.”
Echoing AJ’s sentiments, Gabrielle said “it’s been amazing being a part of” Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s efforts.
“In the past two years, we’ve helped raise more than 700,000 meals – hearing that number makes you realize how our platform has helped,” she said.
Being a part of a community and helping others, AJ said, is a top priority in his life.
“This community means so much to us, regardless of football – we love the people here,” he said. “Now having a son, it’s one of those things where you never know one day who might be my son’s teacher, coach, advisor, peers, classmates, etc. I’d rather have our legacy be, ‘your mom and dad did so much for the community and helped others,’ compared to, ‘yeah, he was fantastic (on the football field), but he didn’t really care for anybody but himself.’ For me, that’s what success looks like. Gabrielle and I both have the same vision for the future.”
AJ said he and Gabrielle recognize that people can’t be “successful if you’re hungry – so this is needed in our community.”
“Growing up, I was brought up thinking, ‘take care of your family first, but then after that, look to help others,’” he said. “I come from a family where I have seven different aunts, but only one of them is blood-related – lots of extended family. That is my community, my village – the people who helped me get to where I am. Gabrielle’s family is the same.”
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin operates food banks in Milwaukee and Little Chute and serves people in rural, suburban and urban locations across 35 eastern Wisconsin counties, Liz Wollenberg, the organization’s vice president of regional strategy and resource development, said.
“In a nutshell, we work with food pantries, meal programs and homeless shelters to feed people within those 35 counties,” she said. “We get large donations directly from food manufacturers and farmers. We then process the material into family-friendly-sized portions and get it to the pantries. The No. 1 item we distribute is fresh produce.”
AJ, who has rushed for 2,428 yards and has scored 18 touchdowns in his Packers career, said he is no stranger to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin – as he has spent the last two years as an ambassador for the organization and has donated both time and money.
He also chose to represent Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin for the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” campaign during the 2022-23 NFL season.
Wollenberg said the organization is lucky to have the Dillons on its side.
“I’m honored the Dillons chose us as the place to launch their foundation – it’s a huge deal, and we feel special we got to be a part of it,” she said. “I think they’ve had a good experience working with us for the last two years. They can make a big impact with their platform and share hunger relief issues. The more the public knows about it, the more we can do to make a difference.”
Wollenberg said as the face for the organization’s 2022 and 2023 “Healthy Kids, Healthy Summer” fundraising and awareness campaigns, AJ “shows up and does the work.”
The campaign centers around ensuring kids have enough food to eat during the summer months when many children have lost access to reliable meals they receive during the school year.
“He is who he says he is,” she said. “That’s a testament to who they are as a family and what their foundation will stand on. It’s been a wonderful match between us.”
While working with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin for the last two years, AJ said he and Gabrielle saw how much of an impact they could make.
“It’s a team effort,” he said.
The Dillons said though they are focusing on hunger relief, for the time being, they have other ideas in mind for the future.
“It was important to start with those closest to me, and now we will work to grow the Dillon Family Foundation to be something really impactful in the Green Bay and Wisconsin communities,” he said.
For more information on Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, visit feedingamericawi.org.
