FAIRMONT — Throughout his college football career, Jordan Waters has been intentional about using his platform to give back, particularly in his hometown of Fairmont.
With Thanksgiving approaching soon, he and Marcus Thompson are teaming up to make sure those who can’t afford a Thanksgiving meal can still get one.
The two are organizing a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24, at the Fire and Police Department building in downtown Fairmont.
“This is my third one,” said Waters, currently a senior running back at N.C. State. “I teamed up with Coach Marcus Thompson … it’s just something I wanted to do. I have the resources to do it. God blessed me a lot the last couple of years with the platform to do it, so now I just want to do it to give back to as many people as I can really. Hopefully it grows, will continue to grow and we can give out more and more.”
The first giveaway event took place in 2022, and gave away about 50 turkeys. Last year they doubled that to 100, and their goal is to match that number again this year.
“Jordan was intrigued by the idea; he was like, ‘I want to jump in and help,” said Thompson, Fairmont High School’s athletic director and head girls basketball coach. “The goal behind it is just to be able to help people who might not be able to go out and get a turkey.”
Waters, whose Wolfpack are idle this weekend and play Thursday at Georgia Tech, will be present for the turkey giveaway next weekend.
“I’ve used my resources, and Coach Thompson, he knows a lot of people,” Waters said. “Especially where I’m at now, with my coaches, a lot of my coaches love to get involved and they love what I’m doing, so they get involved and help out a good amount too.”
In addition to helping those who can’t otherwise afford a Thanksgiving meal, Thompson hopes to teach others about the power of giving back.
“Just always trying to figure out a way to teach kids about philanthropy, because a lot of kids come and help pass out those turkeys,” Thompson said. “But it’s also a way to let Fairmont know that Fairmont’s not just about basketball, or we’re not just about ball; a lot of times, small towns like this, we worship sports, and it’s just to understand philanthrophy is important.”
Donations for the event are welcome; those interested should contact either Waters or Thompson, who can be reached at 919-757-9192.
