Kodiak and the Joe Burrow Foundation are donating 50,000 meals and snacks to families facing food insecurity nationwide
The donation marks a 67% increase from the partnership’s initial 30,000-meal commitment in 2024
Products include protein-packed breakfast items like Power Cakes mixes, muffin mixes, and granola bars, all made with 100% whole grains
The Joe Burrow Foundation focuses on food insecurity and mental health support for underserved communities in Ohio and Louisiana
Distribution will target communities through local partners, with emphasis on families heading into the holiday season
Food insecurity remains a pressing challenge for American families, and two organizations with roots in sports and nutrition are expanding their response. Kodiak, a Park City, Utah-based breakfast and snack brand, and the Joe Burrow Foundation have announced a 50,000-meal donation to families in need across the country.
The commitment builds on the partnership’s 2024 effort, which delivered nearly 30,000 meals to communities in Ohio and Louisiana. The expanded scale reflects growing demand for nutrition support as families face heightened economic pressure, particularly during the winter months.
Partnership Structure and Product Distribution
The donation centers on Kodiak’s core product lines: Power Cakes mixes, muffin mixes, and granola bars. Each item is formulated with 100% whole grains and contains higher protein levels than traditional breakfast products. The foundation will work with local community partners to distribute meals to families identified as experiencing food insecurity.
“Food insecurity impacts far too many families,” Joe Burrow said in the announcement. “This initiative with Kodiak allows the Joe Burrow Foundation to continue expanding our efforts to provide healthy, filling meals for kids and families who need them most.”
Val Oswalt, Kodiak’s CEO, framed the partnership as an extension of the brand’s positioning around accessible nutrition. “At Kodiak, we believe that access to real, nourishing food should never be a luxury,” Oswalt said. “Together, we’re helping ensure more families have the wholesome breakfasts and snacks they need to take on whatever’s ahead.”
Foundation Mission and Focus Areas
The Joe Burrow Foundation launched in October 2022 under the leadership of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and his parents, Jimmy and Robin Burrow. The organization maintains a dual focus on mental health resources and food security programs, concentrating its work in Ohio and Louisiana, regions connected to Burrow’s college and professional football career.
Since its founding, the foundation has pursued partnerships with brands and organizations that can provide direct resources to families. The Kodiak collaboration represents one of its largest single food donations to date.
Food Insecurity Context in Youth Sports Communities
Food insecurity affects families across income levels, including those participating in youth sports programs. While participation fees and equipment costs receive significant attention in access discussions, basic nutrition challenges can create barriers to athletic performance and consistent involvement.
The timing of the donation, ahead of the holiday season, addresses a period when household food budgets often face additional strain from seasonal expenses. The inclusion of shelf-stable breakfast and snack items offers flexibility for families managing irregular schedules common in youth sports participation.
Kodiak, founded over 30 years ago, has built its brand identity around high-protein, whole grain products positioned as performance nutrition for active lifestyles. The company’s partnership with an athlete-led foundation aligns with its marketing emphasis on fueling physical activity and outdoor pursuits.
Strategic Implications for Youth Sports Brands
The Kodiak-Burrow partnership illustrates a model for athlete foundations working with consumer brands on measurable community impact. By scaling the meal commitment from 30,000 to 50,000 units in the second year, both organizations demonstrate sustained engagement beyond a one-time activation.
For youth sports organizations and facility operators, food security partnerships represent an emerging program area. Several multi-sport complexes and club organizations have begun coordinating with local food banks or establishing on-site pantries to support participating families. These efforts recognize that nutrition access directly affects youth athletic development and program retention.
The partnership also reflects broader trends in sports marketing, where athletes and brands increasingly seek partnerships tied to social impact metrics. The measurable donation commitment provides clear accountability markers absent from many cause-marketing campaigns.
Distribution through local partners allows for geographic targeting based on demonstrated need, though specific communities receiving donations were not disclosed in the announcement. The foundation’s stated focus areas in Ohio and Louisiana suggest those regions will receive priority in the allocation.
Looking Ahead
As the partnership enters its second year, the increased meal commitment indicates both organizations view the collaboration as a sustained initiative rather than a limited campaign. The foundation’s dual focus on mental health and food security positions it to address interconnected challenges facing youth in underserved communities.
For families navigating food insecurity while maintaining youth sports participation, access to ready-to-prepare breakfast items can reduce morning meal skipping, a documented issue affecting athletic performance and academic outcomes. The donation’s emphasis on protein-rich, whole grain products aligns with nutrition guidelines for active children and adolescents.
The partnership also provides a reference model for other athlete foundations and consumer brands seeking measurable community impact programs. The clear donation metrics, defined beneficiary populations, and geographic focus areas offer structural elements that support accountability and program evaluation.
via: PRNW
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The Alabama Sports Writers Association has released the three finalists for Back and Lineman of the year in each classification.
Plainview junior Cole Holland has been name one of the three finalist for 4A Lineman of the Year along with Sharontae Bailey, Anniston and Laquon Whisenhunt, Jackson.
Holland anchored the Bears offensive line this season as Plainview captured the 4A Region 8 Championship going 13-1 advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 1999. Holland blocked for an offensive that scored 586 points this season averaging 41.9 PPG. This year’s Bears offense scored the most points in school history, passing the 1991 team that scored 553 points.
ASWA FINALISTS
Winners of the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s major high school football awards, Mr. Football and the 12-member Super All-State team are scheduled to be announced Jan. 20 at a lunch banquet at the Montgomery Renaissance.
Rosenberg National Little League (RNLL) has officially opened registration for the Spring 2026 baseball season, welcoming boys and girls ages 4 through 14 to participate in one of the community’s longeststanding youth sports programs.
The Spring 2026 season will run from February through late May, with all practices and games held at Seabourne Creek Regional Sports Complex in Rosenberg.
RNLL offers divisions ranging from Tee Ball for firsttime players through Junior Baseball for older youth, with a strong emphasis on player development, sportsmanship, and teamwork.
Registration closes on Jan. 25. Players must be registered by the close of registration to be eligible for evaluations and team placement. Registration fees vary by division and help support uniforms, equipment, field maintenance, umpires, and league operations.
New for Spring 2026, RNLL is introducing a Rookie Ball division for players ages 5–6 who have completed one season of Tee Ball. Rookie Ball is designed to bridge the gap between Tee Ball and Coach Pitch by allowing players to see a limited number of coach-thrown pitches before using a tee if needed, helping young athletes build confidence while learning the fundamentals of live pitching.
Player evaluations will be held following the close of registration, except for Tee Ball and Rookie Ball, which do not require evaluations. Practices are expected to begin in early February, with games starting after Spring Break. The season will conclude prior to Memorial Day.
Rosenberg National Little League is led by dedicated volunteers and coaches who focus on teaching the game in a positive, supportive environment while fostering community involvement and youth development.
Families interested in registering for the Spring 2026 season can find additional information and complete registration online at www.rosenbergnationallittlelea-gue. net.
For updates and league announcements, the public is encouraged to follow Rosenberg National Little League on Facebook.
LA HABRA 63, WASHINGTON PREP 48: Acen Jimenez led the Highlanders with 27 points, five rebounds and five assists. Josh Desatoff and Aaron Wilson each had 15 points and three 3-pointers for La Habra.
FOOTHILL 69, AQUINAS 51: Magnus Lawson had 20 points, Braeden Davidson 18 points and five rebounds, Marlee Slone 12 points, six rebounds and five assits and Damir Buckingham seven points and four assists to lead the Foothill Knights.
PACIFICA CHRISTIAN 64, REDWOOD 57: Pacifica Christian was led by Michael Noel, who scored 19 points and had assists. Joaquin Rigdon scored 18 points and Soloman Huang had seven points.
LOS AMIGOS 56, FOOTHILL, NEV. 51: Los Amigos (9-5) was led by Phillip Stewart, who had 18 points and seven rebounds and Jayvon Morgan, who had 10 points in the win over the Foothill team from Nevada.
JSERRA 71, ST. IGNATIUS, OHIO 70: The Lions (11-5) were led by Jaden Bailes with 29 points and Ryan Doane with 17 points.
Crean Lutheran 62, Owyhee 59
ESTANCIA COAST CLASSIC SHOOTOUT
WOODBRIDGE 65, WESTERN 35: Woodbridge (11-4) was led by Jaiden Sabino, who had 31 points and Zacc Saleh who scored 10 points. Woodbridge faces Compton Saturday at 9 a.m. at Estancia.
NEWPORT HARBOR 53, SAN CLEMENTE 46: Owen Saukkola led all scorers with 23 points. Marcel Aguilar added 16 points for the Sailors (10-3).
RINGO BOSSENMEYERTUSTIN HOLIDAY CLASSIC
TESORO 55, MERCER ISLAND 49: The Titans (14-2) were led by Owen Hatch who scored 14 points, Carson Hatch who had 10 points, three rebounds and two assists and Max Draper, who had eight points and 10 rebounds. The Titans face St. Anthony Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Tustin meets Servite at 7:30 p.m.
St. Anthony 60, Beckman 59
Servite 81, Huntington Park 21
Tustin 69, Hawaii Baptist 29
TORREY PINES CLASSIC
CYPRESS 64, MARANATHA CHRISTIAN 51: Ryan Gov led the Centurions (11-5) with 20 points. Ethan Mai added 18 points on six 3-pointers and Gavin Kroll had 14 points with two 3-pointers.
MT. CARMEL TOURNAMENT
EL DORADO 85, EASTLAKE, SAN DIEGO 69: Noah Barker had 20 points, Jack Boettner 18 points, Ryan Northcott 16 points, Elias Rodarte 15 points and Evan Nam 13 points to lead the Golden Hawks (13-1).
ORANGE HOLIDAY CLASSIC
SHADOW RIDGE 50, IRVINE 49: Irvine (7-8) was led by Evan Terakawa, who had 13 points. Holden Stearns and Chase Brito had 11 points each and Jalen Yim eight points for the Vaqueros, who face Incline, Nev. Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Fullerton 54, Boulder City, Nev. 42
Incline, Nev. 52, Orange 32
DESERT HOLIDAY CLASSIC
VILLA PARK 79, SIMI VALLEY 44: Villa Park (11-6) was led by Sebastian Perez, who had 17 points and four 3-pointers. Jordan Salem had 15 points, seven rebounds and five blocks for the Spartans. Jalen Cotton had 10 points and Nathan Chung nine points.
Acreage Athletic League Interim President Tim Opfer
The Acreage Athletic League has been around for more than three decades and will continue its youth sports mission with or without the support of the Indian Trail Improvement District, AAL Interim President Tim Opfer told the Town-Crier.
“Whether we do it at Acreage parks, we’re going to do it anyway,” Opfer said recently. “We’ll find a place to play… [but] I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
The ITID Board of Supervisors oversees the local park system in the Acreage/Loxahatchee area, including Acreage Community Park North and South.
“I think [Opfer] has good intentions,” ITID Supervisor Richard Vassalotti said. “I hope there’s a change in direction, but there are a lot of people who are very, very unhappy.”
For a number of years, the AAL held a service provider agreement with ITID, giving it near exclusive use of the parks. However, after months of controversy, the supervisors voted in February to extend to the AAL a one-year “nonprofit athletic user agreement,” giving its teams first priority for field space while making room for other organizations, such as the Breakthru Athletic League.
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“I’m glad we’re at a place where, for the most part, everyone is fairly comfortable,” ITID President Elizabeth Accomando said at the time. “Residents and parents will no longer be coming to us. This separates us from that.”
Behind the scenes, though, tension simmered between coaches, parents, players and the executive board, which often was accused of incompetence and a lack of transparency.
Now, at least one sport — Acreage Adult Softball — served notice to the supervisors at a Dec. 10 meeting that it intends to break away from the AAL.
Acreage Adult Softball President Elizabeth McGoldrick told the supervisors that there is a “lack of structure on the executive board” and that the AAL “provides no support” to her 18-and-older co-ed league, despite keeping control over the league’s bank account.
Her softball league has “a great board, and we have it down to a science,” McGoldrick said later. “We kept reaching out to the [AAL] board, and we kept getting crickets.”
The softball league’s decision to separate from the AAL is not a surprise, Opfer said. “They’ve been wanting to do it for a long time,” he said.
The time is now, McGoldrick said. “We’re in the process of making the change,” she said.
That includes starting a spring schedule that will begin play in late January or early February to go along with the league’s usual fall schedule.
The AAL began in 1993 with a group of parents wanting to bring organized sports into the unincorporated, semi-rural enclave. With the guidance of the Acreage Landowners’ Association, the first AAL Executive Board of Directors was formed to oversee activities for some 200 young players, and the league incorporated in 1995.
Today, the AAL web site says that there are 2,000 registered players participating in tackle football, co-ed flag football, Acreage Elite flag and girls flag, baseball, basketball soccer and softball.
However, instability and in-fighting have plagued the AAL’s executive board in recent years. When Carlos Castillo was pressured to resign as AAL president in November 2022, Wendy Tirado, a board member since 2016, was named acting president and later elected to the position by the board.
Tirado resigned over the summer, and Opfer, the league’s technology specialist, stepped in to fill the void. Three executive board positions remain open.
In November, Ruben Paulo Tirado, a former coach at Seminole Ridge High School and with the AAL, was arrested on charges of lewd and lascivious battery and soliciting sexual conduct by an authority figure. Ruben Tirado, allegedly Wendy Tirado’s son, has pleaded not guilty.
The AAL “has hit a lot of speed bumps… and they hit a pretty big speed bump in November,” said ITID Supervisor Patricia Farrell, adding that she believed the arrest has had an impact across the district. “Parents are concerned.”
So are players, McGoldrick said. “It shouldn’t affect our [softball] league, but sadly it is. People see us as connected to the AAL.”
Opfer is quick to point out that the enhanced sexual offender notification system used by the league worked as it is supposed to.
“We were notified right away,” said Opfer, adding there is no indication of an issue related to Ruben Tirado’s time with the AAL, and ITID officials said there is no evidence of improper conduct on district property.
Still, it’s another jab to an organization that has taken its share of punches over the last few years, and it has put the supervisors back in the uncomfortable position of dealing with more AAL issues.
“We’ve spent so much time and energy on all this sports stuff,” Accomando said recently. “I know it’s important to a lot of people, but it shouldn’t be the focus of so many of our meetings… Giving permits for field space is all [the district] should be doing.”
Opfer said he understands that the AAL needs to make systemic changes, such as seeking more representation on the executive board from sports such as basketball, and delivering more transparency about the inner workings of the board. Part of that is an overhaul of the league’s “infrastructure” — it’s web site and e-mail communications.
More than that, Opfer said he hopes to rebuild the strained and sometimes broken relationships created when an AAL flag football faction broke away to form Breakthru in 2022. Breakthru has since become the AAL’s biggest rival for flag football talent.
Opfer said he’d like to see cross-league play or perhaps tournaments between AAL and Breakthru teams.
“I know there are still hard feelings on both sides,” said Opfer, but he noted that his daughter plays in the Breakthru league. “Both leagues have some challenges. It’s time we put our egos aside and build those relationships back.”
Staff file photo / Preston Byers
Lakeview head wrestling coach Ryan Williams celebrates a pinfall victory during the Bulldogs’ home meet vs. Leetonia and Austintown Fitch’s B team in Cortland on Dec. 17.
When Ryan Williams stepped down as the Liberty head wrestling coach in 2024, he admitted that it was not for a lack of passion for the sport, but rather a time commitment he could no longer make while raising young children.
A year later, things had changed somewhat.
“My wife finally gave me the green light,” Williams said. “She made me take that year off because of the kids, and she saw that I was miserable.”
His wife’s only condition for Williams to return to the sport, he said, was that it had to be close to their home in Cortland. So he got to work.
Lakeview, like many schools in the area, did not have a wrestling program, which Williams suggested should change. He said that he initially met with the principal and athletic director, who warned him that the district would not provide any funding to a team if he created one.
Undeterred, Williams agreed and quickly decided that he did not want to wait around as things worked their way up the chain of command.
“They said, ‘Yeah, well, then we’ll meet with the superintendent, see what kind of progress you make over the next couple months.’ I was impatient. I didn’t let it go a couple months. So I secured a mat and uniforms the same day I talked to the AD and principal,” Williams.
By mid-April, a little over a month after receiving the go-ahead from his wife, Williams got the meeting that he wanted.
“I just kept telling them to get me in front of the superintendent,” Williams said. “She was very hesitant at first, but I don’t think she fully realized at the very beginning that I wasn’t asking for money for coaches’ contracts; we’d completely fund it. She’s like, ‘Well, yeah, go ahead.’”
With the wrestling club and its donors covering bussing, uniforms and just about everything else, what Lakeview provided was its approval and a place to practice; Williams said they are currently in the high school cafeteria. They had been looking at a specific classroom to move into, he said, but that plan might already be no good.
“Since our match against Liberty, I’ve had nine new kids show up. So it just keeps growing, and now I’m starting to wonder, I don’t think the room is going to be big enough. We might have to stay in the cafeteria,” Williams said.
These are definitely good problems to have for the nascent wrestling club, which is sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) but technically not one of the school’s varsity sports.
Williams said that he had initially considered starting at the youth level to build the Lakeview wrestling program from the foundation, but the buzz around the community, he said, made him decide to pull the trigger on starting youth, middle school and high school boys and girls teams all at once.
“So far, it hasn’t backfired,” Williams said.
When he started out, Williams hoped he could get about 50 kids to join the programs. But four months since the first fundraiser, 90 have come aboard, he said, with many from nearby Scrapyard Wrestling Club.
Williams credited the reach of social media, particularly Facebook, and the support of Lakeview head football coach Ron DeJulio Jr. for the rapid growth of wrestling in the area.
“That goes a long way,” Williams said. “Anytime the head football coach backs a wrestling program, it benefits both programs. … He realizes we’re a smaller school district and we have to share athletes.”
On Dec. 17, the Bulldogs hosted their first home meet vs. Leetonia and Austintown Fitch’s B team, two very different squads.
Fitch, one of the largest and best wrestling programs in the area, dominated the competition despite bringing none of their best talent. Leetonia, on the other hand, had fewer than a half-dozen wrestlers to compete with the expansive Lakeview and Fitch rosters.
Still, Williams said then that the experience was a good one, and that his wrestlers could see up close what they could potentially become with time. The meet also served as a valuable experience for those not on the mat, such as the scoreboard operators and fans in attendance, many of whom are new to the sport entirely.
“I guess the biggest difference is nobody here knows anything about it as far as what to expect on match day or tournament day,” Williams said. “So it’s kind of like my phone rings off the hook answering questions leading up to events. But there’s a ton of parent involvement.”
Williams’ ambition has not only been supported by those in the community, but Fitch head wrestling coach John Burd also made it clear that he hopes to see the Bulldogs and his friend succeed.
“They’re doing an excellent job building it from the ground up,” Burd said. “… Hats off to Ryan, he’s getting a lot of good people around him, getting support from their administration. I know their athletic department, principal, staff, all of them have been behind him, helping him and supporting him along the way.”
While many of the Bulldogs are effectively pups when it comes to wrestling, Williams said two of his wrestlers have been standouts so far this season.
“Aurora Hall, I have full confidence that she’s going to make a run to the podium at state,” Williams said. “Dustin Corbett, he’s got some prior experience from where he lived prior – he came from Greenville – but he hasn’t wrestled in four years. But he’s wrestling lights out.”
Either Hall or Corbett having success this season, especially in February and March, could prove to be massive for the Lakeview program as Williams tries to keep interest in his club high through the inevitable growing pains.
“[I want to] get them hooked, maintain the numbers, keep them excited,” Williams said. “It’s been challenging, you know, because you go into most matches expecting to lose, right? Everybody has way more experience than us, but they go out there and battle, and they’re trying to win and not just cowering down.
“They show up the next day. They’re excited. They want to learn where they can improve. This group of kids, especially, has been awesome.”
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