New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has always been there for his adopted home during times of crisis. Even as he and his family adjust to their "new normal" because of the novel coronavirus, the NFL star and his wife have already contributed $5 million to their hard-hit community.
Louisiana currently has over 2,300 cases of COVID-19 and more than half are in New Orleans, where cases spiked by 28% in just one day, the fastest increase in the U.S.
"There are so many people in need right now. This is such an unprecedented time and such uncharted territory," he said. "So many people out there who have lost their jobs."
"Especially when you look at the state of Louisiana -- we are a small business state. We are a hospitality state, and so those are the industries that really have been hit the hardest, and so many people are without so much right now," he continued.
Brees said it was important for he and wife Brittany to fulfill "some of the most basic needs" for those impacted.
"Being able to feed those families and to feed those kids of health care workers that are on the front lines right now [who] are having to drop their kids off at day care as they go to work to save lives -- we want them to know that their kids are taken care of," he explained. "We want the seniors to know that they are taken care of. I think these are some of their most basic needs and yet I think that continues to give them hope. That lets them know there are people out there that are caring for them and looking out for them and we'll all get through this together."
As Brees navigates the new normal in his own household, he said there has been a bit of a learning curve when it comes to hitting the books with his four kids.
"I never realized how much work goes into that on a daily basis, especially for four kids that are on four totally different lesson plans and, you know, you're trying to figure it all out yourself as an adult. It's like we're going back to school as well at the same time to figure out how to teach them," Brees said. "But I think our school has done a good job coordinating everything. We're doing our best. This is the new normal at least for the time being. We're trying to make it fun, and yet it's definitely challenging."
The athlete said the entire pandemic situation is "so different" for everyone, "especially those that may have loved ones or friends who have been affected by the virus thus far."
He added that now is the time to heed medical officials' advice in order to hopefully flatten the curve.
"It's a bit of a surreal atmosphere right now -- and yet I think if we want to at least get over the hump with this and get on the downswing, it's something we need to make sure we're obeying what the medical experts say when it comes to this virus," Brees said.
In the meantime, Brees offered the reminder that we're all in this together: "We're all trying to figure it out as we go along [and] constantly trying to stay in tune with -- what's being asked of you."
