Tunnel To Towers: Taste Of The Jets Helps The Cause
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The New York Jets have been a long time partner of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. This year's partnership added a culinary flair.
- The Tunnel to Towers Foundation builds homes or pays off mortgages for families of those killed in the line of duty at home or abroad
- Find out more about the annual Tunnel to Towers run
The Taste of the Jets at the Metropolitan Pavilion combined food, football, and charity. Jets fans had the unique opportunity to sample some of the most delicious dishes from some of the most exclusive New York area eateries.
"It's nice to be able to taste all of these dishes," actor Isaiah Whitlick Jr. said.
The food was only topped by the ability for fans to meet some of their favorite players.
"It's cool to see the guys on the field and see them play. Then come out and meet them personally," fan Jake Schwartz said.
The partnership between the Siller Family and the Johnson family, as well as Tunnel to Towers and the Jets was a natural fit from the beginning. All of the net proceeds to this sold out event benefited the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
"For me personally I have been a Jets fan since they were the Titans, but for my family it just shows how much Woody Johnson and his brother care about what happened on 9/11," vice chairman of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, George Siller said.
"It's a great partnership, they are a great family and the Jets are very loyal to the New York area."
Woody and Chris Johnson and the Jets have partnered with the foundation for the last four years. Back in 2014 and 2015 they donated enough money to build two smart homes for critically wounded veterans.
Frank Siller wanted to present something to Chris that he couldn't get any place else and would have a special meaning to him, a 343 Firefighters helmet.
"That helmet has the number 343 on it, it represents the tremendous sacrifice that was made on September 11th, 2001," foundation chairman Frank Siller said.
"They do so much for our foundation. They help us build specially adapted smart homes for our country's most catastrophically injured servicemen. So a night like this, where they are helping our foundation, I wanted to say thank you, and I know that is better than anything else you could give them."
All of the net proceeds from the event went to Tunnel to Towers. The funds will be used to build a smart home for a deserving war hero. The meaning of this partnership wasn't lost on Jets stars, Darron Lee and Jamal Adams.
"They risked their lives on the line so that you and I could go do what we do on a day to day basis. So anything we could do to help them do what they want to do on a day to day basis. I'm all for it. I'd be forever in debt to those guys," Darron Lee said.
"Just giving back and doing it for the right reasons. Everybody is helping out, everybody is putting a hand in. So that it is about," Jamal Adams added.