Tacoma native Marcus Trufant giving back to community through COVID-19 emergency fund
The campers at the Al Davies Boys and Girls Club in Tacoma were excited about their afternoon treat.
Each made their way, one by one, to the kitchen area at the facility in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood, and after thoroughly washing their hands, were given a plate full of a kid favorite — chicken strips and french fries.
“Nuggets are my favorite,” one young camper said.
After receiving their plates, each camper returned to their tables to eat. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Boys and Girls Club programs have to operate differently, with kids spread out, contact limited, and health and safety protocols enhanced.
But, the staffers there, and other community partners are working daily to provide some normalcy, comfort and fun surprises for their day campers.
Friday’s hot lunch was provided by Tacoma native Marcus Trufant, the former Seattle Seahawks cornerback who grew up, along with his younger brothers Isaiah and Desmond, benefiting from the programs the Boys and Girls Club offered.
Trufant, 39, and his family have given back to local communities for years through the Trufant Family Foundation. Still, when the virus outbreak hit Washington, he decided he wanted to do even more to help those in need during an unprecedented time.
“I wanted to find a way to give back,” Trufant said. “Being local, being born and raised in Washington, being born and raised in the Tacoma area, that’s where I wanted to focus my attention.”
Through his foundation, Trufant set up a COVID-19 emergency fund and has partnered with the Tacoma Urban League, Seattle Education Access and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tacoma to “help ease some of the anxiety and uncertainty in our community.”
Through donations from community members, the fund has raised more than $10,000 of its $75,000 goal.
Trufant said the foundation started distributing funds to its partners this week and hopes to keep the campaign active for the next few weeks and help as many people as possible.
“It speaks volumes to the sense of community that everybody in the northwest has,” he said. “It’s great that people want to help our their fellow neighbor.”
Trufant has promoted the campaign through social media on his own Instagram account, where he has nearly 38,000 followers, and it has also been featured on a popular Tacoma-centric Instagram account, which has nearly 30,000 followers.
Donations can be made through the Trufant Family Foundation website.
“We’re trying to get the word out as much as we can,” he said. “We’re looking for more partners and looking for more people in the community who can help those in need.”
With the funds raised, the foundation plans to provide transportation resources for those in need, food delivery to students and seniors, housing assistance and meals to children of front-line workers directly impacted by the pandemic.
The Al Davies Boys and Girls Club was one of the first beneficiaries of the first wave of donations.
Trufant has jerseys framed on the walls there, and he and his two brothers — Isaiah, 37, is also a former NFL player, and Desmond, 29, recently signed a two-year deal with the Lions — are all in the club’s alumni hall of fame.
“When you have that personal connection, it’s really cool,” said Ashley Garcia, a branch manager in Tacoma, and a site lead at the Al Davies day camp. “The Trufant Family Foundation does a lot for the community in general, but also Al Davies specifically, and the Boys and Girls Club.
“It’s cool that they can still find ways to support us through the day camp right now.”
All of the children who attend the free day camp at the Al Davies location have parents who are first responders, health care workers or essential workers like grocery store employees.
The camp is open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and serves breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner for the kids who attend. Staffers also provide programming to help the campers continue to learn while schools are shut down.
There are usually about 30 campers on site each day, Garcia said, and ages range from 3-11 years old. Greentrike works with the preschool-aged campers, and the Boys and Girls Clubs have partnered with Tacoma Public Schools, Metro Parks Tacoma and the YMCA to host day camps for the older students.
“The ways that everyone has come together during this is really great to see, even though this is changing everyone’s lives,” Garcia said. “No one is having a regular day with all of this, so it’s cool to see everyone come together for each other how we can.”
Friday’s lunch donation was an example of that. Trufant provided the free meal through local restaurant Go Philly, which has locations in Tacoma and Lakewood, and then had the trays of food delivered to the Al Davies location through the Tacoma-based company iHaul.
Al Davies branch manager Makenzie Lane said the kids being able to see well-known Tacoma natives like Trufant, who went on to have a successful football career after graduating from Wilson High School, providing for the community allows them to envision themselves having success in their careers when they’re older.
“We’re super grateful for everything the Trufant family does,” said Jinnie Horan, the director of marketing for the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound. “Not only for our organization, but the community, and always remembering their roots and remembering to give back here.”
This story was originally published May 9, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
