GREEN BAY – Packers tight end Tucker Kraft was named the 2025 community service award winner at the team's annual Green Bay Chamber of Commerce "Welcome Back Packers Luncheon" on Friday.
Honored for a number of charitable endeavors in both Wisconsin and his home state of South Dakota, Kraft received a standing ovation from the full house inside the Lambeau Field Atrium as he walked up to the stage to receive the award.
A native of Timber Lake, S.D., a small town of roughly 500 residents on the Cheyenne River Reservation, Kraft chose to support a local nonprofit called the Cheyenne River Youth Project for the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" initiative last season.
The project matches toys with kids' lists for the holidays, helping anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 Cheyenne youth enjoy the holiday season. Several kids from the reservation traveled to Green Bay last fall to film a "My Cause, My Cleats" commercial with Kraft to bring national attention to the initiative.
As a gesture of thanks, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe adopted Kraft as an honorary member.
Kraft was a third-round draft pick from South Dakota State in 2023 who has quickly risen to become both a prominent player and leader on the Packers. He's on the verge of being mentioned among the league's elite at his position.
In saying just a few words as the award recipient, Kraft imparted this message to the crowd: "Where you're from can never set a limit on where you want to go."
Among other community activities during his three-year NFL career, Kraft has visited with patients and families at Children's Wisconsin in Milwaukee; participated in a golf outing to support the Charles Woodson Clinical Research Fund, which supports pediatric research at the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott's Children's Hospital; painted and assembled a flag with families of fallen military members; and taken part in the Packers' annual Tailgate Tour, traveling throughout Wisconsin to visit fans and raise money for local organizations.
"It's an honor to work with a guy like that each and every day," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said, as he encouraged the crowd to give another hand for Kraft. "To watch the maturity and growth, not only as a person but as a player … he does a great job representing what we want to be about with his actions on the field as well as off the field.
"Tuck, we can't have enough guys like you on our football team."
