Caleb Downs hasn’t been in central Ohio long, but the OSU football star has packed a lot into his first year and change in the Buckeye State.
After joining The Ohio State University Buckeyes in 2024, the star safety helped the team clinch its ninth national championship this year. A two-time All-American, he’s built nationwide buzz ahead of the 2025 season as one of college football’s top defensive players. He’s widely considered to be a contender for the Heisman Trophy.
But talk to Caleb about what matters to him most, and you’re as likely to hear about acts of service and faith as you are memorable plays and national titles. Off the field, he and his family’s Trust Downs Foundation are aiming to tackle hunger in the communities they call home. And with Caleb in Columbus, that now includes central Ohio, too.
“It’s a great feeling knowing that you’re giving back to people who’ve been less fortunate,” Caleb told Mid-Ohio Food Collective. “For me, it shows humbleness in myself—to be able to put myself in a position to meet people where they’re at. I just try to do my part.”
Starting this year, Caleb and the Trust Downs Foundation are partnering with MOFC to raise funds and fight food insecurity in central and eastern Ohio with a special focus on holiday meals. It’s part of a higher calling for the whole Downs family, Caleb said.
“Since I was a kid, I have always been taught to glorify God in any way that I can,” Caleb said. “If I can give somebody food and say, ‘this is from Jesus Christ, and this is the way he affected my life, and he wants me to give back to others,’ it’s what I’m going to do.”
“It’s about realizing the gifts we’ve been given and trying to give back,” he added.
In addition to serving a higher purpose, he said volunteering and lending his voice to hunger relief brings him closer to his neighbors. With his sights set on a career in the NFL, Caleb knows he might not stay in Ohio for good. But that doesn’t stop him from giving back locally today. In fact, he aims to use his platform as a star OSU player to do all the good he can while he’s here.
“It’s important to be where your feet are, not to look backward, not to look forwards. The biggest impact I can make is where I’m at in the moment,” he said. “This is where [I’m going] to college, so it’s a place I could come back in the future and try to have an impact as well.”
For now, he’s hoping his example will inspire others to take action and fight hunger wherever they call home. September is Hunger Action Month, and everyone can do something to help their neighbors in need. Caleb started the month working at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s on-site kitchen preparing meals for local school kids. The most important thing is taking action however you can, he said.
“Be the hand to somebody who’s reaching out for help,” Caleb said. “The biggest impact you can make is where your feet are—what you can do with the power of today.”
Interested in scheduling a volunteer shift or making a donation? Visit mofc.org/volunteer and mofc.org/give to take action today!
