Colts and Patachou Foundation partner to battle hunger

General manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen present Kenny Moore II as the Indianapolis Colts' 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.

A look at Kenny Moore II, the Colts' 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, his impact both on and off the field, and his commitment to making a difference in the community.

The Indianapolis Colts, in partnership with CSI Cargo Services, provided over 30 foster children with the gift of reading through the Books for Youth program. Held at the Colts Practice Facility, General Manager Chris Ballard and his family, Colts Cheerleaders, and mascot Blue helped distribute backpacks filled with age-appropriate books. This initiative continues to support Indiana's youth by fostering a love for reading and empowering their futures having collected nearly 900,000 books and distributed close to 9,000 backpacks to children in foster care.

The Indianapolis Colts, in partnership with US Foods, provided Thanksgiving meals to 2,000 Indianapolis families in need during the 12th annual Horseshoe Helpings event. Colts players, Cheerleaders, and local volunteers came together to pack and distribute food at Lucas Oil Stadium, offering both drive-thru and walk-up stations to support the community.

More than 65 Indianapolis Colts players – as well as the Irsay family, General Manager Chris Ballard and Head Coach Shane Steichen – will wear customized cleats and shoes that highlight charitable organizations in Indiana and across the country during this season's My Cause My Cleats game this Sunday at New England.

In an effort to battle childhood hunger, Indianapolis Colts players joined alongside The Patachou Foundation to serve made-from-scratch meals to local kids at Adelante Schools at Emma Donnan School #72. The school has implemented PataSchool, an initiative of The Patachou Foundation that restores working kitchens in schools, hires and trains culinary staff and provides free, nutritious and scratch-made meals to 100 percent of the schools' student body.

The Colts partnered with Pike High School's Bring Change To Mind chapter for a mental health meetup event. Players and cheerleaders talked with students, discussing the power of positivity, and participated in activities like writing encouraging postcards for someone in their life and creating advocacy bracelets with significant words or phrases.

The Indianapolis Colts hosted their third annual "Beyond the Sidelines," a fundraiser event benefiting Kicking the Stigma, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about mental health disorders and combating the stigma surrounding them.

Proceeds from the event support Kicking The Stigma Action Grants, which provide vital funding to nonprofits and organizations, primarily in Indiana, that promote mental health awareness and offer essential services. To date, Kicking The Stigma has awarded $6.4 million in Action Grants to more than 60 community organizations, helping make a significant impact in the fight for mental health advocacy.

The Indianapolis Colts partnered with TeamSmile and the Delta Dental Foundation to provide free dental services including, cleanings, fillings, and extractions, to underserved children from the Indianapolis area at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center headquarters. The event featured visits from Colts players, "Blue," Colts Cheerleaders, a DJ, face painting and other fun activities to go along with the free dental services.

The third annual Unified Flag Classic, sponsored by JD Sports and supported by Special Olympics Indiana and the IHSAA, offers high school students with and without intellectual disabilities the opportunity to compete together. This event, hosted at the Colts' practice facility, allows students to represent their school while enjoying a competitive experience and inclusive training and competition.

More than 150 volunteers from the Indianapolis Colts and local partners join together to build a new playground at Ernie Pyle Elementary School #90 in near Westside Indianapolis. Colts players, Cheerleaders and staff worked alongside volunteers from Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), Rebuilding Together Indianapolis and Sinclair Recreation.

Indianapolis Colts staff from across the front office team up to pack Kicking The Stigma co-branded coffee cup sleeves with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). The featured sleeves will be shipped to 65+ coffee shops across Indiana to promote mental health awareness.