There was a feeling of holiday cheer in the air at Acrisure Stadium when the Steelers hosted their seventh annual Huddle for the Holidays. The magical event is something that brings joy, love and hope to others during a time when it can be needed the most.
The spirit of the holiday season took over, with giving back to others the goal.
The Steelers welcomed guests from area non-profit organizations to enjoy a fun-filled holiday outreach. A part of the magical night included providing guests with a little bit of everything to make the holidays merry and bright for children and families.
Among the organizations taking part in the event this year were the Latino Community Center, Hazelwood Cobras, Clairton Youth Development Opportunities, Center of Life, Macedonia FACE, Hope for Tomorrow Inc., La Rosa Youth Club, Boys and Girls Club, Amachi Pittsburgh, MPACT (Monessen Positive Action Community Team) and Homewood Children's Village.
"For our community members, it means everything," said Kiyomi Knox, the Community Engagement Manager for Center of Life. "Just look at all the hardships that this year has brought. Families were already hurting, and now they're hurting even more. They're struggling with food. They're struggling with having to worry about how to pay for heating and their light bills and making sure that they can pay their rent.
"The need has increased exponentially. My program, what we're in charge of, is helping people when they're in need and connecting them to resources. We've been giving out a huge increase of emergency food boxes because people are struggling to be able to get food for their families. People are really struggling with housing. Being able to have fun at the holidays, or things like that, certainly gets put on the back burner.
"So, knowing that their children have an opportunity to still have some Christmas joy just means everything."
The surroundings were reminiscent of the North Pole, with festive décor and activities welcoming the guests, as Steelers players and staff managed different stations, interacting and spreading joy to all of the kids, who were as wide-eyed as Christmas morning.
Huddle for the Holidays, which was started by former Steelers tight end Vance McDonald and Convoy of Hope, has grown through the years into an opportunity for the entire Steelers organization to give back during the holiday season.
"It's funny to think, this being the seventh year for the event, how it first came together," said Blayre Holmes-Davis, the Steelers Senior Director of Community Relations. "It's grown so much over the years. It's been great to see the impact that it has on the community and how people look forward to it every year. And the kids look forward to it as well.
"I think especially, we know there continues to be so much of a strong need in our community. With this event every year, in addition to the kids receiving toys and just bringing the holiday spirit, we always want to make sure there's something that we can do through this event. We provide gift cards, so people just have the flexibility to purchase groceries or get gifts for their kids as well.
"There's just a lot going on right now. While our community needs to be flexible, we also need to be flexible and be intentional about how we support them.
"So, it's been great to see how much this has grown. It's been great to see how our players continue to show up, but also use their own foundations and platforms to participate too. It's been exciting. I always think back to Vance McDonald when he started this, and he's also really excited to see it continue and also see players continue to engage through this event."
While an array of toys to choose from were one of the highlights for many of the kids, it didn't stop there. All of the children received winter coats, courtesy of RSM, winter accessories and health and wellness items were provided by UPMC. In addition, Giant Eagle provided gift cards for the families for grocery needs this time of year.
"Sometimes it's the small necessities that we take for granted like a new coat, but also hats and gloves and scarves," said Holmes-Davis. "It's also taking time to just be a family together. That's why we have this event. Not only is it providing gift cards for them to go grocery shopping on their own, there's also dinner because while we sometimes take for granted being able to sit down and have dinner together as a family, those aren't things that all families are able to do.
"We want to be able to take a day where they don't have to worry about anything, where they can just take time to get a haircut, spend some time with our players. Get a toy for the holidays and take time to just be together. I think also for the kids to be kids. It's only a couple of hours of an event, but it's also really important for us to make sure that we're just allowing kids to be kids and also just making a space for them to do that."
An array of activities and gifting stations were made available, including holiday arts and crafts, letters to Santa, children's books distribution, barber and hair stylist stations and a manicure station.
The desire to give back spread over to multiple players foundations as well, with Cameron Heyward's Heyward House providing hygiene kits once again and Christian Kuntz Kuntz4Ki6s Foundation partnering with Pittsburgh's Toys for Tykes for toy giveaways for the kids.
"This is an awesome event," said Kuntz. "Huddle for the Holidays is a huge event here and the turnout that we get from the organization is amazing. We have multiple tables set up with toys, haircuts, events for the kids. It's a great outing and it's definitely special here in the city.
"It was fun to see the smiles on the kid's faces when they came in and saw all of the events going on and all the players there with their jerseys on. It was a special moment."
The organizations served during Huddle for the Holiday encompass an array of groups, but the one thing that ties them all together is a genuine need that exists today for a holiday lift.
"It means a lot because when we think about the struggles that everyday families are facing, sometimes that means joy gets pushed to the side because they're so focused on just surviving," said Tinisha Hunt, CEO of Macedonia Family & Community Enrichment Center. "So, opportunities like this, it's enchanted. It's a very beautiful evening to come down to the stadium and just be surrounded, engulfed in love and joy. I think it means so much to families in that way that we're still elevating and celebrating joy.
"We are seeing more need. I think sometimes as a society we think everything is okay. It's not over for the people who are living it deeply, the domino effect of those things that happen may only have been a drop in the bucket to the rest of the world, but to them it was a tsunami. So, we have to be mindful that those needs are not completely fulfilled. People are still trying to get to a better place. We do still see those needs. And then on top of that, the needs were always there.
"To have a night like tonight with the players there, it's very special. I think sometimes it feels like there is so much distance between the people who we see on TV doing things and what our reality is in our community. Bridging that gap is very important. The kids get to see somebody they look up to on the TV, or we have a lot of young athletes in our community who play sports and just to be able to engage and encounter with the professionals is really meaningful and special."
And that is what the goal is.
To make the evening meaningful and special.
"That's why I love this," said Holmes-Davis. "It's like a little winter wonderland. Santa's here, and the kids were having a good time and just being kids. It's an escape for them and an evening for them to just be catered to and let them know that they're important. It doesn't matter where they're from, what their socio-economic background is.
"It's just a time for us to say we care about you, we see you. We want to make sure that you have everything that you need.
"I think for us as a team, and also for our players, to be of service to the community and an evening for them and their families to take time to give back. It's always one of my favorite events. It's always one of our players favorite events too.
"It's just a nice little holiday event. You feel like you're just stuck in a snow globe for just a couple of hours and it's great."
