This is the second installation of Postcards From Charlotte. Each day umterps.com will have daily updates on the team's journey in Charlotte ahead of the Duke's Mayo Bowl against NC State at noon on Friday, Dec. 30.
The Maryland football program spent its second full day in Charlotte making a real impact in the surrounding communities.
The team arrived at Second Harvest Food Bank just before 9 am and immediately got to work bagging food to be given to kids in need.
"It's surreal just being able to give back to the community because they give so much to us," senior punter
Anthony Pecorella said.
In less than 30 minutes, the team managed to pack 1,500 separate meal bags full of beans, canned chili and vegetables, peanut butter and, of course, Duke's Mayo. Each bag is specifically designated for a child in need at various local schools and the food is purposefully easy to make so that the children are able to do it by themselves.
"It means a lot to give back to people who are less fortunate," redshirt freshman
Roman Hemby said. "It makes us feel like we have a purpose. It feels great to be a part of a bigger cause and part of something bigger than yourself."
The guys split into offense and defense and each had their own assembly line processes to pass the food down the line until it was fully packed. A few guys in each group were tasked with being the counters to make sure each side reached 750 bags for the total of 1,500.
Gallery: (12-27-2022) Duke's Mayo Bowl: Community Service
Of course, the team added a competitive flair—racing to see which side could pack their 750 bags the fastest.
"We made it a little competition thing because that's who we are, that's our nature," Pecorella said. "We all want to get done the fastest because we all only move one speed."
There was no shortage of energy and excitement throughout the early morning. Guys would cheer each other on to pack faster and would burst into different chants to keep the energy up. When the packing was done and it was announced that 1,500 different kids in need of food would receive a meal, the entire team burst into a roaring round of applause.
"It shows what kind of guys we have and that's from the top down," senior wide receiver
Jeshaun Jones said of the team's excitement during the event. "You can tell everyone's enjoying it and having fun while we give back."
In the end, it was announced the two sides had tied in their competition to pack food the fastest, earning some good-natured grumbling from the players. However, the guys all celebrated that the day was about a much greater purpose than themselves.
"For me, it means a lot," Jones said of the day. "I know it means a lot to a lot of these guys too. It's a blessing to be able to do this and to give back to the community. I'm thankful to the Duke's Mayo Bowl for giving us the opportunity to do this."
Following the service event at the Second Harvest Food Bank, the team broke for team meetings before heading back to Charlotte Christian School for the second consecutive day of full-length practices.
The guys got after it during the sunny afternoon, working on all three facets of the game in a high-intensity setting in what was the team's final full-length practice season.
The Maryland defense made several big plays, most notably a one-handed interception by
Gavin Gibson in the end zone.
"Great energy," redshirt senior defensive lineman
Greg China-Rose said of the practice atmosphere. "We're still trying to get better every single day. We're just cleaning up the basics, cleaning up the fundamentals and sticking to our gameplan. We're focusing on us, the Terps."
On the offensive side of the ball, the receivers came up with multiple impressive catches. Sophomore
Tai Felton stood out once again as he and other younger receivers continued to take advantage of the extra reps created from multiple wideouts leaving for the NFL.
"It's exciting to be with the young guys and to watch myself and them grow as we head into next season," Felton said. "It's cool to see how much they're all excelling now with some extra reps. We're taking this as our chance to get ready for the start of the 2023 season."
Gallery: (12-28-2022) Maryland Football: Bowl Game Practice 2
The Terps will wrap up their day with a shopping spree at Belk's in Southpark Mall. Tomorrow, select players and head coach
Michael Locksley will attend a media availability before the entire team has a modified practice followed by a Bank of America Stadium visit.
Follow along at umterps.com for the next postcard as the team progresses through the week!
