Anquan Boldin helps out during a trip to Ethiopia in March. “It’s barely rained in three years,” he says of the African nation

How Anquan Boldin is helping his hometown get access to COVID-19 vaccines

Anquan Boldin Helps His Hometown Gain Vaccine Access

Former NFL wide receiver Anquan Boldin is giving back to his community. In his hometown of Pahokee, Fla., the Super Bowl champ is helping people get access to COVID-19 vaccines. At the beginning of the year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the state was partnering with Publix Super Markets to distribute vaccines to seniors in the state.

The issue with Pahokee is that many seniors who qualify for the vaccine live far — over 25 miles away — from the nearest Publix, specifically in the Glades in Palm Beach County, where Boldin is from.

Most of the population in the Glades is Black and Latino and many are below the poverty line.
Recognition has never been Boldin’s primary objective, and this situation was no different. When he saw people in need, Boldin went into football mode. He became a difference-maker.

“I was really concerned,” Boldin said during a telephone interview. “Down here in Florida, the governor was distributing the vaccine through the Publix grocery store chain. Where I’m from, the nearest Publix is 30 miles away. You have people in those communities that don’t have transportation. Some people don’t have internet access to get online to get an appointment. There were a lot of things preventing people in those areas from getting vaccinations.

“I contacted the governor’s office. I have a friend, John Davis, who is Florida Secretary of the Lottery. We both played at Florida State, we’re from the same hometown. I connected with him, we jumped on a call with the governor’s office. Within a week, we had a vaccine site set up.”

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His call worked, and a week later a vaccination site opened at a high school football stadium in the area — appropriately named Anquan Boldin Football Stadium. The Super Bowl champ said the residents were grateful they finally had a chance to get vaccinated.

“They were just excited [to have] the vaccination … a lot of people were excited,” he said. Boldin said from living in the area that he’s seen how it does not have as many resources as other parts of the state. “There are a lot of resources that the east coast gets that the Glades usually doesn’t get. Once COVID hit, it really shined a light on the disparities throughout the different communities,” the 40-year-old said.

Boldin is a co-founder of the Players Coalition, an organization that includes athletes from various sports who are dedicated to improving social justice and racial equality. As a retired athlete, he’s still trying to make a difference.

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