Christian McCaffrey launches ’22 and You’ to help raise funds for healthcare workers

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey has started “22 and You,” a program committed to raising money for healthcare workers in the Carolinas.

McCaffrey announced the effort Thursday as the numbers of deaths and confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to rise around the country. The goal of the fund is to support front-line medical workers, including physicians, nurses and other hospital staff battling the pandemic.

“Like all of you, I have been watching the COVID-19 public health emergency unfold with shock and sadness,” McCaffrey said in a statement. “I am moved by the heroic and selfless efforts of our frontline healthcare providers throughout the Carolinas and beyond. As such, I have decided to launch an effort to help them in their life-saving work.”

Lowe’s Home Improvement and Bose have already contributed to the fund and McCaffrey matched their support. The money raised will go to the North Carolina Healthcare Foundation and South Carolina Hospital Association Foundation. Both are independent organizations that work to provide the best healthcare across their respective states.

North Carolina has nearly 1,900 cases of coronavirus and 16 deaths as of Thursday morning, according to data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and county health departments.

The number of cases reported each day is growing as testing continues to ramp up in labs and healthcare facilities across the state. North Carolina is among 25 states classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as having widespread transmission.

Last month, Panthers owner David Tepper donated $2.65 million in support of the response to COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. He donated $1 million to the Foundation for the Carolina’s COVID-19 Response Fund, $1 million to Atrium Health and Novant Health and $650,00 to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Foundation through the David A. Tepper Charitable Foundation.

The Atrium Health Foundation received $650,000 and Novant Health Foundation received $350,000.

Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson is supporting local restaurants in Charlotte and his hometown of Sacramento.

NFL players and owners around the country have also made donations in support of the fight against COVID-19. Among many others, Saints quarterback Drew Brees donated $5 million to a number of organizations to help prepare and deliver more than 10,000 meals per day throughout Louisiana. Falcons owner Arthur Blank donated $5.4 million for relief efforts in Georgia and Montana.

Donations to “22 and You” can be made on the website, http://christianmccaffrey22.org/.