EAGAN, Minn. — Jonathan Greenard knows how good it can feel to look snazzy on the way to school.

"I was that kid that had the outfit literally laid out on the bed going to sleep at night," he said with a smile, "from the shirt all the way down to the underwear, and obviously you can't forget the shoes.

"Fresh shoes make you just feel amazing," Greenard added.

It's why last week's Tradehome Shoes event at TCO Stadium resonated so strongly with the Vikings outside linebacker. He loves pouring into the community – seeing kids and parents alike experiencing joy.

"It's crazy, on a Tuesday night people are showing up in full force," said Greenard, who is very passionate about his charitable foundation based back home in Georgia and eager to get more involved in Minnesota. "Any time you put on some new shoes, it just gives you that new confidence to go and attack the day. I feel like if we can be that person, that catalyst to help the kids feel good about going to school, feel good about going to play sports and have fun with the nice kicks, man, we're all for it!"

Greenard was one of 18 Vikings players romping around the back-to-school giveaway with 130 Tradehome store managers and 1,670 youth in the foster care system. The young people played games, received autographs and, most importantly, were sized for a fresh pair of shoes.

"Seeing the kids' faces is priceless," Tradehome Vice President of Store Personnel Mark Jacobson said. "Yes, we're in business to make money, but we're also in business to give back, at our core."

The participants enjoyed a full evening of fun, posing for photos and darting over agility dummies with a football and slamming into blocking pads held by Tradehome managers – laughing when they knocked them over. They threw passes into cutouts of Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Justin Jefferson, and played super-sized versions of board games.

"I don't bite!" Greenard playfully said to a girl looking up at him, who was too shy to stand for a picture.

"It's OK, maybe another time," his face softened.

Early in the evening, Greenard simulated a 10-yard race between him and three little kids. He was left in the dust off the line – something that's rarely happened to him so far in his first season wearing Purple.

"I love doing things like this," he shared. "It shows us how to be humble and give back, and understand that if you break bread, you'll enjoy the fruits of your labor when you pour back into the community.

"It's about leveling the playing field," Greenard added. "You're giving shoes away, you're giving things back to the community that pours so much into us. You're just setting up the foundation for the future."

This year's event was flooded with kids of all ages. One girl celebrated her 13th birthday.

"This has been a real long journey for us," her adoptive mother admitted. "God has just been providing."

Six family members formed a half-circle near midfield of the practice stadium to sing happy birthday. They giggled and couldn't stand still. Some of the kids were wearing the kicks they received last year.

"I was in their shoes, so this is kind of a chance for me to give back to them," said Vikings safety Theo Jackson, who recalls sporting his favorite pair of Jordan 1s when he was younger. "It means everything because any time Sunday comes, they're always there to support us, so we love to give back to them.

"I was getting a kid sized up for shoes, and he played running back and he wanted to meet Aaron Jones."

When Jackson walked the boy over to Jones, "His face just kind of lit up!"

In a new twist this year, Jacobson brought along 100 percent of the Tradehome store managers for the first time. Some were involved the first two years when there were 400 and 850 kids — and have participated at smaller givebacks, but not on this scale. They were surprised at a meeting and bussed to TCO Stadium.

It reminds Jacobson of the event's growth, and initial inspiration.

An observation made by his daughter Kaia when she was in fourth grade at Ellsworth Elementary School: She noticed several classmates wearing holey, worn-out shoes with their toes poking through the tops.

Kaia reported back to Jacobson, who had been in the shoe business for 30 years and soon her classmates were on an even playing field. But it wasn't enough. There was a larger problem affecting more people.

So dad and daughter contrived a way to raise money for others desperate for a better foundation.

Kaia and fellow fourth graders combined heads on a school project that aimed at buying 100 pairs of shoes for their peers. That motivated Jacobson to create the company's Trade-At-Home-Give-At-Home initiative, which allocates $1 for every item sold toward purchasing shoes and donating them locally.

"I still," Jacobson paused for six seconds to fight back tears, "I remember that day outside the bake sale and just thinking how proud I was to be watching my daughter and watching that whole class raising this money to be able to help out others. … It's probably one of the proudest moments I've had as a father.

"Just because you're a fourth grader doesn't mean you can't make a big impact on this world," Jacobson added. "It's not all about the adults. The kids, they're the future and it's fun to see their minds work."

In the third year of their partnership with the Vikings, the Tradehome team plans to give away between 12,000-14,000 pairs of shoes, including 3,000 last week at TCO Stadium. Kids also received socks and backpacks.

The inspiration never tires.

Some kids discover their correct shoe size for the first time in their life and don't know what to do next.

"It blows you away [every time]," said Jacobson, noting his mixed emotions of sadness and happiness. "Just because the shoes were going on their feet, they didn't correlate that they get to keep these. … Maybe sometimes in the moment you don't realize how much of an impact you're having with them."

Assistance from Vikings players Garrett Bradbury, Blake Cashman, Sam Darnold, Andrew DePaola, Stephon Gilmore, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Ed Ingram, Jalen Nailor, Josh Oliver, Harrison Phillips, Will Reichard, Dalton Risner, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Walter Rouse and Robert Tonyan helped make the work lighter.

"Seeing all the smiles on the faces of little dudes and little ladies, just seeing that smile come out of them with a new pair of kicks is awesome," Rodriguez said. "God put it in my heart to give blankets and jackets to the homeless this winter, so I'ma [find a way] to do that. This encourages that big time."

The rookie defensive lineman said he wants to put together a similar event later in his career.

It hits home for him.

"I saw some kicks that have had some character with them," Rodriguez laughed and revealed he previously mended his own shoes with duct tape. "It's awesome to see a new pair of shoes get used. It's a whole new journey."

On his favorite interaction of the day, Rodriguez was indecisive – too excited to narrow his choices.

"Every one of them! Every one of them!" he shouted. "I try to be me and let the Lord work through me."

"I love it," Rodriguez raved about meeting more of the Minnesota community. "I haven't met a bad person yet. I just want to keep reaching people through this platform and be the best version [of me] I can possibly be."