Denver Broncos Linebacker Nik Bonitto joins efforts to fight childhood hunger

Denver Broncos Linebacker Nik Bonitto is teaming up with the Safeway Foundation's Nourishing Neighbors program, the Bonitto Family Foundation and Food Bank of the Rockies to help fight childhood hunger.

The organizations launched the "Team Up to Tackle Hunger" campaign, a checkout fundraiser supporting food pantries, backpack programs and other hunger-relief efforts.

To kick off the campaign, Bonitto joined local student-athletes for the Safeway Grocery Combine, a football-inspired competition featuring grocery-themed challenges. The challenges included a head-to-head grocery bagging competition, a tote-weight guessing challenge and a cereal tower competition.

For student-athlete Grace Mabongo, the event was personal.

"I really did struggle growing up with food insecurity, so it means a lot that the community cared about this kind of stuff," Mabongo said.

Mabongo said many immigrant and struggling families in the community rely on support like this.

"It's a lot of immigrants and struggling families. It means a lot that local grocery stores are bringing in the food and caring for our kids," she said.

Donations made at Safeway and Albertsons checkout lanes across Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska through August 11 will support local food banks and programs providing meals to children during the summer and on weekends during the school year.

The campaign is designed to help ensure families have access to food when children are out of school and school meals are not available.