'Give like nobody else': How Millwood football supports community for Thanksgiving

Darwin Franklin and the Millwood High School football team are planning to start their Saturday morning the same way they have throughout the season.

They’re going to review game film. If everything works in their favor, then the Falcons will be preparing for an appearance in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A playoffs.

But when their study session is over, they’re gathering for a reason unrelated to football.

Millwood's team will pick up 100 Thanksgiving turkeys and provide them to community members.

Franklin, the Falcons’ coach, shared an audio message last Wednesday on Twitter announcing their second annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway.

From 1-3 p.m. Saturday, people in need of food for the holiday can stop by the Millwood Multi-Sport Facility and get a turkey at no cost. Several of the players, wearing their Falcons jerseys, walked up to community members’ cars and delivered the turkeys last year, Franklin said.

More:'Rivals and still friends': Carl Albert vs. Del City features head coaches with a long history

“These guys got their jerseys on, just representing Millwood with their jersey,” Franklin said, “And they get to come out of there realizing that, ‘Hey, the platform and the role you have is a lot bigger than just playing ball. You got a bigger responsibility in this whole thing.’ So that’s what we try to really drive home to our guys, is just the responsibility you have of being a young man and playing at Millwood is so much bigger than what we do on the field.”

The new tradition started last year, when Franklin was trying to brainstorm a Thanksgiving plan for his team. The Falcons were done playing football after missing the playoffs, but he was still looking for a way to bring them together.

Perhaps a team dinner? Then a different idea emerged.

Buying 100 turkeys for distribution was no small task, but supporters pitched in to help.

“I think about 50 people started donating, and we ended up with enough money to get the turkeys,” Franklin said. “We picked them up on that Saturday and handed them out.”

Although the Thanksgiving giveaway is in only its second year, it adds to a longstanding tradition of generosity at Millwood.

More:The Oklahoman's Week 12 picks for every high school football game in the state

Students are required to have 100 hours of community service to graduate, Franklin said. In past summers, his team has visited City Rescue Mission, an Oklahoma City organization that provides temporary shelter and other services for people who are unhoused.

When the Falcons volunteer, Franklin doesn’t want them to just serve food and leave. The coach urges his players to sit down with community members. Ask questions. Listen to their stories, and understand that their situations could happen to anyone.

Sometimes, they’ve met Millwood alumni while volunteering. Other times, they’ve talked to children who look at the high school students and say they want to play football, too.

“We’re only one circumstance and one situation away from possibly being homeless, not having food,” Franklin said. “It’s not that far-fetched for any of us to be in that situation, and (I want) us to just appreciate; we’re saying, ‘Have an attitude of gratitude (for) what we have.’”

With the Thanksgiving giveaway, Franklin and his team are focused on addressing food insecurity, a widespread issue in Oklahoma. From 2018-20, an average of 14.6% of Oklahoma households dealt with food insecurity, the fourth-highest percentage of any state, according to Oklahoma Policy Institute.

Franklin and his coaching staff want to make sure no one is without a holiday meal. He’s guided by a philosophy he called “irrational giving,” a core value of his church.

“We love it,” Franklin said. “Give like nobody else. (Millwood has) given away washers and dryers, we’ve given away cars, we’ve given away food. Just be irrational, and I think that’s one of the things that we try to do here at Millwood, just be irrational givers.

"Things that people would say, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t do that,’ then why not? Why shouldn’t we?”

More:Oklahoma high school football: Four downs heading into second week of playoffs

This year, Franklin saw someone else show that compassion. To his surprise, an anonymous donor stepped up and wrote a check for more than $2,000 to cover all 100 turkeys, he said.

If you would like to sign up for a turkey online, go to millwoodps.org and scroll down to the turkey giveaway link on the homepage. To sign up in person, stop by Millwood High School at 6718 N. Martin Luther King Ave.

Registration is first come, first served, and Franklin encouraged community members who can buy turkeys to leave these for people in need.

Throughout the week, the Falcons are concentrating on their game. They host Lindsay in the second round of playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday. This means their week will be busier than when they had their Thanksgiving giveaway last year, but their goal was to hand out turkeys again this season while reaching the playoffs.

That's what the Falcons are doing.

“We’ve got a game Friday we still need to win,” Franklin said, “and we can win that and go fulfill that next goal that we set early last year.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS football: Inside Millwood's Thanksgiving turkey drive