MINNEAPOLIS –Adrian Peterson on Thursday exchanged his purple 28 jersey for a big red suit. 

The running back is used to getting recognized, but it's not typically because of a white beard and belly that shook like a bowl full of jelly.

Peterson and his wife, Ashley, hosted their second annual "Christmas with the Petersons," this year at the Upper Midwest American Indian Center (UMAIC) located in North Minneapolis. Thirty-six families – including 101 children – attended the event.

Ashley, dressed as Mrs. Claus, called each family up by name to meet and take a photo with "Santa Claus." Adrian took time with each child, offering hugs, handshakes and – of course – plenty of Christmas candy. 

"It was just fun to see the kids come up and give me hugs and see the smiles on their faces when I told them, 'Go ahead and dig in the candy bag, grab as much as you can, and we have presents for you,' " Adrian said. "That's what it's all about. I'm just happy that I'm in a position to be able to bless others."

After meeting Santa, the youth proceeded to pick up their Christmas gift. Adrian and Ashley had donated gender- and age-appropriate presents for all the guests up to age 16.

"This is an amazing experience," said Shannon Hartwig, a UMAIC board member. "I've been a lifelong participant of the program and worked here off and on most of my life. This is one of the greatest things that we've had happen for our families.

"We just got done doing our Toys for Tots program, and we barely met our needs for that," Hartwig added. "So having [the Petersons] come in addition to that is just amazing. I can't believe the impact it will have on the young people."

A non-profit organization, UMAIC serves a large population, the bulk of which consists of low-income families in the North Minneapolis area.

During the 1930s, American Indian people were moving to Minneapolis for employment from North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois and other states. It was through cultural relationships that UMAIC was founded in 1937 to preserve the American Indian Heritage and Culture.

The clients are from the 11 tribes of Minnesota and are multi-racial, multi-tribal and from other tribes out of state. According to the UMAIC, many of the program's children are raised by their grandparents or extended family members, and many families are in poverty.   

The Petersons considered a number of local organizations with which to host their Christmas giveaway this year, and both Ashley and Adrian felt strongly about giving back to UMAIC when they heard its history and mission.

"We try to [serve] underprivileged communities and areas, because we know there are a lot of families that go without during Christmas," Adrian said. "We did our search, and this one came to our hearts, so we decided to come here."

Ashley felt strongly about working with an organization that had a foster care program, and she also felt a special connection with UMAIC.

"I'm also part Native American, so that touched my heart even more," Ashley said. "We really wanted to find somewhere where we could directly reach the kids and make sure that the kids we felt needed it the most could get the support and the toys for Christmas."

Adrian was joined for the evening by teammates Charles Johnson and Matt Asiata. While Adrian played the role of Santa, Johnson and Asiata helped to pass out gifts to the children while also signing autographs and posing for photos.

In addition, a number of Adrian's family members joined in the festivities. Adrian said that was an important part of the evening for him.

"Growing up, my family always stuck together," Adrian said. "I just want to pass that along to my own family and my children, to give them the opportunity to come and be a part of this."