Kirk and Julie Cousins help 60 families buy Christmas gifts

On Monday afternoon, almost 24 hours after the Vikings lost a home game that could cost them a trip to the playoffs, Kirk Cousins smiled into a webcam as he talked with a six-year-old boy named Edison who couldn't have cared less about the quarterback's red-zone completion percentage.

Edison came to People Serving People emergency housing earlier this year with his father, Edward, after his mother died and the family lost their apartment in a fire. He told Cousins how distance learning was going, how he wants to become an archaeologist when he grows up and how he'd had to give up his cat when Edward and he moved out of their apartment.

"Someday you're going to get another one, bud," Cousins said. "Better days ahead, OK?"

Then Edison tore the wrapping paper off the Jurassic World velociraptor toy Edward had picked out for him.

"It has a movable toe claw!" he shouted, before holding his gift up to show the Vikings quarterback.

Cousins and his wife, Julie, decided to adopt the entire People Serving People shelter for the holidays this year, helping 60 families pick out gifts for their kids. They started working with People Serving People last year, surprising families there with a private trick-or-treating experience and then donating to a virtual Halloween party this year.

"With a couple of the families we were able to meet virtually, you're just reminded it truly is more blessed to give than to receive," Cousins said. "To see the joy on their faces, and to hear their stories, to try to contribute to his Christmas in a small way is just a piece of trying to make his life a little better, to bring joy into his life in a small way and try to ease his burden any little bit that we can."

The Cousins Foundation effort was among six holiday community activities by Vikings players announced by the team Tuesday. Adam Thielen's foundation (Salvation Army), CJ Ham (Twin Cities Boys and Girls Club) and Sean Mannion (Little Earth Boys and Girls Club) also provided gifts for families in need. Anthony Barr provided meals through the Jeremiah Program, and Kyle Rudolph supported patients at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital.

Cousins met with two families on Monday, asking a woman named Sasha about the Iron Man and Jojo Siwa toys she'd picked out for her four sons King and Blu'Prince and daughters Dayziya and Blu'Skye. He listened to Edward talk about his move from Detroit in search of a better job, and chatted about Michigan State football while Edison opened a stack of gifts that included Halo, Minecraft and Spider-Man action figures. The biggest hit, however, was the King cobra robot for the six-year-old with a love of reptiles.

"He likes snakes, too," Edward said to Cousins as Edison screamed excitedly.

People Serving People worked to distribute the Cousins Foundation's donation directly to parents, setting them up to pick out personalized gifts for their kids and giving them a level of autonomy over everyday decisions that homelessness can often take away.

Hearing why Sasha and Edward had chosen certain gifts for their children, Cousins said, "makes you feel the gift so much more.

"We do a lot of giving through our foundation where it's simply sending a check. That's meaningful; that makes a difference, and we believe in being obedient to what it means to give. But at the same time, when you can meet face-to-face and see the gift face-to-face, it takes on a whole new meaning."