Eastern Produce Council members heard from former New York Giant football great George Martin the group’s second annual Tailgate event.
The Sept. 25 event at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., featured a tour of the stadium, tailgate food from event sponsors Avocados from Mexico and the Idaho Potato Commission, Martin’s inspiration speech and a football-themed raffle.
EPC President Marianne Santo, senior produce buyer at Wakefern Food Cooperative, introduced representatives of the sponsors, Anna Kirsch, regional director of the Northeast & New England for Avocados from Mexico, and Dave Rhodes, retail promotion director-Northeast for the potato commission.
Martin, who was a defensive end for the Giants from 1975-88, talked about his early years with lessons he learned from his father, a sharecropper. Following the 9/11 attacks, Martin walked from New York to San Diego on behalf of first responders, raising $3 million. His book, “Just Around the Bend, My Journey for 9/11,” chronicles his nine-month trek across the country.
“George stressed that the important life lessons he learned working in the fields with his father shaped him into the man he is today,” according to a news release. “You could hear a pin drop as he spoke about his responsibility to give back to the community that had given so much to him over the years.”
