The Chris Long Foundation has announced a new program, EdZone, that will launch in St. Louis in partnership with The Little Bit Foundation later this year. The program, designed to advance educational equity issues in communities around the U.S., will support basic essentials, such as socks and underwear, provided to early childhood and elementary age students in Little Bit partner schools.

Chris Long, former NFL player and founder of the Chris Long Foundation, said, “St. Louis is where I had my start in the NFL and played for the majority of my career. I’m excited to give back to a community that gave so much to me. Every child deserves a chance to succeed in school and that starts with children having the right tools.”

“We are so grateful for the support of the Chris Long Foundation through the years and thrilled to be partnering in bringing the EdZone program to St. Louis,” said Miranda Walker Jones, Little Bit CEO. “Our organizations share similar visions of educational equity and understand that addressing students’ basic needs is as essential as academic instruction.”

The program launched with a book event, hosted by the Chris Long Foundation, Little Bit and First Book, at Sigel Elementary and Meadows Elementary Schools on May 13. More than 3,200 books were distributed to students, who were treated to virtual reading and Q&A time with Long and former St. Louis Rams James Laurinaitis.