RICHMOND, Calif. — Najee Harris remembers where he started from.
Harris, who was selected as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round draft pick in this year’s selection, spent time in a homeless shelter with his family when he was growing up in Richmond, California.
The University of Alabama running back went back Thursday to the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program shelter for an NFL draft party, KGO reported.
When he was 12, he, his parents and his four siblings lived at GRIP, KGO reported.
Not only did Harris bring pizza and chicken, but he also decked out the shelter with football-themed decorations, cupcakes and goodie bags, KRON reported. He also took photos with shelter workers and families living there.
Alabama RB & top draft prospect Najee Harris returned to GRIP shelter in Richmond today to sponsor a draft party for the kids. Harris was a child when his family of 7 lived here while dealing with homelessness. Now he’s going to the NFL. What a success story.@kron4news #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/IV9y81QvBV
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) April 30, 2021
“That little time we had helped my family out to find another place to stay, so just giving back to the communities and giving back to places like this means a lot to me,” Harris told the news station.
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KRON reported his return was emotional for him and the party wasn’t for him, but rather to shine a light on homelessness.
Najee’s biggest reason for doing all of this (he didn’t want the draft party to be about him) was to raise awareness for homelessness!! Please consider donating to the shelter https://t.co/R8E0UYxTr0
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) April 30, 2021
Harris was the Steelers’ 24th pick in the first round, WPXI reported.
This isn’t the first time he had helped those who needed it. He was named to the 2020 Southeastern Conference Football Community Service team because of his work volunteering with the Alberta Head Start Unity Project as a role model for children and for leading his team’s social justice movement to help the University of Alabama more unified.
Cox Media Group
