The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation on Saturday joined 500-plus volunteers to assemble Thanksgiving food baskets for 2,500 in-need residents at the annual Harvest Feast presented by Ryan Homes.*

It's a Thanksgiving tradition that never grows old for Jeris White.

The former Redskins cornerback was one of more than 500 volunteers on hand Saturday at FedExField for the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation's 13th annual Harvest Feast presented by Ryan Homes, where Thanksgiving food baskets were assembled and distributed to 2,500 Prince George's County residents in need.

"I think it's fantastic," said White, who played in the NFL from 1974 to 1982 and was a member of the Redskins' Super Bowl XVII championship team. "There are so many people that are in need nowadays in the world, and … giving your time to do something like this is really important."

Saturday's event combined the joint efforts of Ryan Homes, Operation Blessing, SHOPPERS® Food & Pharmacy, FedEx and the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, each of which played a major role in the gathering, packaging and distribution of Thanksgiving turkeys and groceries to thousands of men, women and children largely identified through Prince George's County Social Services.

In all on Saturday, the Redskins gifted 92,575 pounds of packaged and fresh food, including 30,000 pounds of whole turkeys provided by SHOPPERS® Food & Pharmacy.

Since the inaugural Harvest Feast in 2003, the event has seen the donation of more than 1,059,760 pounds of packaged and fresh food and 460,500 pounds of turkey to area families in need.

"What a great day for the Washington Redskins and our partners and Prince George's County," Redskins President Bruce Allen said to kick off Saturday's event. "This is our 13th year of our annual Harvest Feast where we're going to reach out to our neighbors in this great community, and hopefully make a great Thanksgiving for their families."

Allen and White were joined by several other former and current Redskins players and team officials volunteering on Saturday, including Takoby Cofield, Austin Reiter, Tony Spinosa, Ricky Ervins, Clarence Vaughn and the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders.

Spinosa, a Redskins strength and training coach from 1997 to 2007, was volunteering at his first Harvest Feast on Saturday.

"It's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful," he said. "Helping out, giving back to the community – can't get any better than that. When you work for others, it makes life so much more fulfilling."

Saturday's event also included the traditional "FedEx Special Deliveries," in which Thanksgiving food was personally delivered in FedEx trucks by Redskins players and alums to two sites around Prince George's County, including a transitional housing program.

"What I'm amazed about is all the other people that came out here and volunteered their time," White said. "I think it's just phenomenal."

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