Kelvin Beachum, Paris Johnson Jr. laying the foundation away from football

MESA — On the field, Arizona Cardinals offensive linemen Kelvin Beachum and Paris Johnson Jr. are determined to not give an inch.

Off of it, that’s far from the case.

In partnership with United Food Bank, the duo got together at the Eisenhower Center for Innovation on Tuesday for their annual Thanksgiving food distribution benefitting Mesa Public School families.

An early downpour didn’t stop the annual @KelvinBeachumJr and @ParisJohnsonJr Thanksgiving food distribution in Mesa on Tuesday.

“Anytime we have the opportunity to donate meals, distribute meals, I always take pride in that.” ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/r3RBK43fAH

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) November 19, 2025

Not even an early downpour could deter the giveaway, with 250 families picking up turkeys, milk, potatoes and other essentials for a full Thanksgiving meal in a two-hour span.

“It ceases to amaze me how much you can impact somebody with a meal,” Beachum said Tuesday. “So anytime we have an opportunity to donate a meal, to distribute a meal, I always take pride in it.

“We have a love of offensive line play but also share a love for being able to serve our community. It’s always special,” he added.

It wasn’t just Beachum and Johnson getting to work by any means.

The entire 2025 rookie class, second-year pro Rabbit Taylor-Demerson and staff members also filled in along a makeshift assembly line. They even had some international help from some fans who finally got to share a drink with tight end Trey McBride ahead of last Sunday’s game.

“This is what it’s about when you’re talking about wanting to create an awesome team,” Johnson said. “And I think we’re fortunate that we were given a rookie class that embodies team and they embrace what it means to be a team.

“They showed up on their off day. They don’t have to be here. So again, to have guys like that that are spending their off-day Tuesday … to do something for the community, I think it speaks volumes to the character of the guys we have here.”

For Beachum, Tuesday not only marked another successful community event put on by the veteran, it also signaled another passing-of-the-torch moment.

Much like Patrick Peterson did for him early on in his Cardinals career, Beachum continues to show his teammates the ropes of what being a pro means away from the football field.

Now, the next generation of Cardinals is getting a front row seat.

“The thing is being a rookie and understanding how important it is to give back and learning from older guys and learning from veterans,” Beachum said. “You got to be able to pass this information down to the next generation. I’ve been able to do that with Paris. … We did it with Dennis Gardeck for a little bit.

“Now, we’re working on how do we continue to pass this down to the next generation of Cardinals? And understanding that that’s just the life cycle of the National Football League.”

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