NEW ORLEANS, LA (WDSU) — It was a whole different ball game for members of the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday in Gentilly.
Members of the Saints teamed up to help three families rebuild their homes that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Saints safety Roman Harper said seeing the transformation in rebuilding homes is a powerful sight.
“It's just one of the houses that we're doing and it's going to be a great, tremendous thing. Seeing the transformation of this house looks nice,” he said. “It really just lets you know how far it really has come, how long and how bad these people have been struggling since Katrina, which is almost five- and-a-half or six years ago now."
Wide receiver Lance Moore said giving and helping rebuild are what the holidays are all about.
"It makes you feel good. It makes you feel good just to know the happiness they'll feel to finally be back in their home after six years. It's almost like a fresh start for them,” Moore said.
The "fresh start" comes with the help of United Way with the No Place Like Home initiative called “Hope For the Holidays.”
Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins said hope is precisely what they are bringing to families this holiday season.
"Especially this time around the holidays, because this is the time you should be home with the family,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said he even came prepared for the day and did some homework in a different style of playbook.
"I did spend the off-season by watching HGTV. I'm ready. Yeah, ready to be put to work,” Jenkins said. “It’s a win-win for both of us.”
The victory comes in the spirit of the holidays, but the players said the focus shouldn’t be on them.
“It's not about me, it's not about the Saints,” Moore said. “It's about doing what we can to make sure that they're back in this house."
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