Legends Plaza is typically quiet on a Tuesday morning but ahead of Thanksgiving this year it transformed into an energetic scene full of Commanders and Prince George's County residents gathered for the franchise's 24th annual Harvest Feast.
"I think it's important that the team does this because it's showing the community and the fans that they're appreciative of the love and support shown towards the team," 2025 Harvest Feast attendee Derrick Goodman said.
Made possible through the generosity of partners including Clark Construction, Northwest Federal Credit Union, Bank of America, Capital Area Food Bank, PepsiCo, Prince George's County Social Services and the Washington Commanders Charitable Foundation, the November tradition deepens a bond with so many families in the area and helps make thousands of tables full during the holiday.
Those who registered for Harvest Feast were met with plenty of fanfare once entering to get their goods. Command Force and Major Tuddy brought the party. Washington Legends from multiple eras linked up with current players, including Jayden Daniels making his first public appearance since dislocating his elbow, to add to the fun, posing for pictures and helping to distribute the 2,500 grocery bags on site.
"It's a joy to see Jayden Daniels down there, and I got a hug," diehard Commanders fan Rene Warren-Goode said with a big smile. "I had no idea they would all be here."
As focus shifts to Sunday Night Football out of the bye week, a cohort of current Commanders made sure to get out for Harvest Feast in what Luke McCaffrey called a "great opportunity" to give back to the community that "does such a good job of supporting us."
"The community and the team kind of become one, and that's a really special thing when you look at gamedays and the atmosphere that creates in a stadium and out in a city," the second-year wide receiver said. "But I think when you can give that back as a team, in ways that directly impact, it really does make a difference and really is special."
It can be easy for players to perhaps hole up when a team's record isn't great, and coming out to Northwest Stadium shows that this group is "smart" and cares about "connection with the community," as Washington Legend Doc Walker put it.
"They're not hiding. They're out here. That's the important part about it," the Super Bowl champion said. "And when your quarterback leads the group, his mom's here, it's a family affair. When you're raised a certain way, this isn't a big event, it's just what you know"
Among those who joined the players were team president Mark Clouse and members of Washington's ownership group including Mark Ein.
"What I like about this group is from the owners down, the white-collar group is active. It's not just lip service. They put boots on the ground. That's important," Walker said.
From front office participation to sponsors coming together to donate items to gestures like tight end Colson Yankoff running back and forth to put bags in cars, Harvest Feast signaled that the Commanders are here to support. That assistance has an extra special feel for many in the region this year in particular.
Warren-Goode, for example, is one of countless DMV residents who is not only grappling with issues such as rising grocery prices facing the whole country, but also the "domino effect," she describes, that's come from layoffs and furloughs of thousands of federal workers. She's a daycare provider, and as she put it succinctly, she "can't run a daycare if we don't have kids."
The Commanders' Harvest Feast helped meet a need this holiday, and as the appointed "chef" doing "all the cooking" at her Thanksgiving this year, having the buffet of necessary foodstuffs is a serious matter. Warren-Goode and her family can feel at ease knowing, with a little boost from the Commanders, they won't have to skimp on any dishes this holiday.
"It means they [Commanders] understand what everybody is going through, and everybody is going through something at this point and just needs somebody to stand up and say, 'Hey I see you. I know what you're going through,'" Warren-Goode said of Harvest Feast. "To me, it speaks volumes."
