Football team helps Father Jim Sickho get relief packages ready for eastern Kentucky flood victims

Mark Stoops and UK football players helped Father Jim Sickho prepare items to deliver to eastern Kentucky flood victims. (UK Athletics Photo)

Mark Stoops said Wednesday that Kentucky football would be doing things to support the eastern Kentucky flood relief efforts and Friday the team did just that.

Stoops and his team went to Richmond to help Father Jim Sichko and the Papal Missionary of Mercy. Sichko is well known for his charity work and when he asked for donations to help flood victims, over 10,000 packages from his Amazon wish list were sent to his home.

The UK players helped pack the boxes into trucks for delivery to eastern Kentucky victims.

“These guys worked around the clock right now, but they’re glad to give up several hours to help. We’ll do anything we can do,” Stoops said.

The players had a normal practice Thursday but the coach said they were “excited” to help Sichko with his project.

“They want to give and want to help,” Stoops said. “These are really good young men. None of us are perfect but they are a joy to coach.”

Stoops told those in eastern Kentucky to “stay the course” and that folks in the state, including the UK football team, care about them.

Sichko said packages contained  toiletries, food, household items and even pet food needed in eastern Kentucky.

“It was good to find an opportunity for all of us to work together to help this cause. We are so glad we could help,” quarterback Will Levis said. “We were looking for something to do as a team to help out.”

This was perfect because it let a 100-plus players all help at the same time and it was a job where more than just a little muscle was needed.

Levis, who enjoyed stomping bubble wrap that came with some packages to hear the loud pops, thought there would be a lot of packages at Sickho’s house but was surprised with how many the players found.

“But it was nothing we could not handle,” the UK quarterback said. “We just have to know when opportunities arise to use our platform to help people in need. I know a bunch of people in that area truly love us. We represent the University of Kentucky but we also represent the whole state of Kentucky and we have got to make sure we do all we can for the state.”