Patriots DE, Thomas Jefferson grad Chase Winovich pays school's lunch debt

New England Patriots rookie defensive end Chase Winovich hasn’t forgotten his roots in Thomas Jefferson High School’s Jaguar country.

As a special treat just before the holidays, Winovich, 24, paid for the entire free and reduced lunch debt of 96 students in the West Jefferson Hills School District.

“The district is extremely grateful for all that Chase does for our students and schools,” Carrie Lekse, the district’s director of public relations, said in a message to the Trib.

Lekse said neither the district nor Winovich would disclose the exact amount of the donation, “but the donation paid off the entire lunch debt for free and reduced students.”

Families who qualify for free or reduced lunch prices under the National School Lunch Program must meet certain income requirements.

Winovich, who played linebacker and quarterback at TJ before graduating in 2014, was a four-year letter winner at Michigan. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round — 77th overall — in the 2019 NFL Draft.

“I wasn’t really expecting this kind of response, I just wanted to give back to the community that raised me in any way that I could,” Winovich said in a quote provided to the Trib. “This seemed like a great way to help out some families in the district for the holidays.”

This isn’t the first time Winovich has shown support for his hometown.

“He has come into the schools to speak to the younger students about the importance of reading, keeping up with their studies and working hard to achieve their goals,” Lekse said. “He even paid the TJ football team a special visit during the Blackhawk playoff game to show his support.”

A quick scroll through Winovich’s Twitter feed shows his close ties to the black and gold Jaguars remains.

He shared pictures supporting TJ Football as they headed to the PIAA Class 4A championship — where they came out victorious. He even shared photos from Gill Hall Elementary School Principal Adam Zunic and notes memories of his days as a youngster in the district.