Alex & Alyssa Highsmith on Fighting Food Insecurity, Faith & Building a Foundation Together

<p>Alex Highsmith and his wife Alyssa join The Giving Game for a rare joint interview — one where host Sophie Whitesell openly admits she knows nothing about Alex's NFL career and everything about the couple's foundation. That's exactly the point of this conversation.</p><p>Alex and Alyssa pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to run the Alex Highsmith Family Foundation, debunking the assumption that athletes just write checks and let a team handle the rest. Both are hands-on every week — Alex on Tuesday meetings between football commitments, Alyssa deep in the sponsorship and operations side as, in Alex's words, "the backbone of the foundation."</p><p>The headline announcement is Alex's Locker Room, a new initiative launching in partner high schools in Pittsburgh and Wilmington, NC, aimed at tackling food insecurity among student athletes — providing meals, hydration, hygiene essentials, and nutrition education for kids who qualify for free and reduced lunch. Alyssa, a certified nutritionist and nurse, explains why fueling young athletes properly is about more than food access — it's about education they'll carry for life.</p><p>The couple also opens up about their foundation's back-to-school drives, the Dancing Grandma Scholarship (named for Alex's late grandmother, who went viral dancing when he was drafted), the Run for Colorado Scholarship honoring a high school classmate lost to violence, their faith, how they met and got engaged, and what it's really like navigating NFL life as a couple who insists on staying grounded and involved.</p><p><b>If this conversation moved you, you can support the Alex Highsmith Family Foundation using the link below.</b></p><h2>What We Cover</h2><ul><li><b>(00:52)</b> The biggest misconception about running an athlete-led nonprofit</li><li><b>(02:41)</b> Announcing Alex's Locker Room — fighting food insecurity in partner high schools</li><li><b>(04:59)</b> Alyssa's background as a certified nutritionist and nurse</li><li><b>(07:11)</b> Getting to know the Highsmiths: partner-interview questions about each other</li><li><b>(11:41)</b> What Alyssa does behind the scenes that makes the foundation possible</li><li><b>(14:22)</b> The foundation pillar that feels most "Alyssa"</li><li><b>(14:52)</b> The back-to-school bash story that stuck with Alyssa</li><li><b>(16:33)</b> The Dancing Grandma Scholarship and honoring Alex's grandmother</li><li><b>(19:26)</b> Why empathy for kids who lack resources matters to the Highsmiths</li><li><b>(20:41)</b> Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination vs. winning a Super Bowl</li><li><b>(24:03)</b> Alex on identity beyond football and his faith</li><li><b>(31:55)</b> How Alex proposed to Alyssa</li><li><b>(34:01)</b> What sets Alyssa apart as an NFL wife who still works full-time</li><li><b>(35:05)</b> Creating a safe space for NFL wives navigating trades, moves, and isolation</li><li><b>(36:47)</b> Trusting people's intentions at a public level</li><li><b>(38:33)</b> Biggest wins and biggest challenges facing the foundation today</li><li><b>(40:23)</b> Alex's dream partnership: Dick's Sporting Goods</li><li><b>(45:15)</b> If given $100 million: Alex's vision for a foundation facility and school</li><li><b>(49:15)</b> Where to donate and support the Alex Highsmith Family Foundation</li></ul><h2>Support the Alex Highsmith Family Foundation</h2><p>👉 Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://AlexHighsmithFamilyFoundation.org" target="_blank">AlexHighsmithFamilyFoundation.org</a> 👉 Instagram &amp; Facebook: linked in bio</p><p>Can't give financially? Subscribe to the foundation's newsletter, follow along with Alex's "Fuel Up Fridays," and share their mission — community support matters as much as dollars.</p>