Retired NFL Player Jared Veldheer Now a Grand Rapids Lunch Lady

A few hundred elementary students in Grand Rapids are being served lunch every day by a former NFL powerhouse.

Standing at a towering 6 foot 8 inches tall, Jared Veldheer is someone the kids at St. Paul the Apostle School in Grand Rapids really look up to.  After 11 years as a dominant offensive lineman in the NFL, the 34-year-old West Michigan native has a new job where he can be a little more involved in his son and daughter's daily lives.  Veldheer is now the cafeteria kitchen director at this children's school and he loves it.  The former NFL player is very involved in creating a menu for the school cafeteria that's like a restaurant according to People,

He also learned a lot about nutrition as a pro athlete and wanted to bring those lessons to the students.

Jared has received rave reviews from both students and their parents about the menus he has created for the school.  His hands-on work with the school has gotten the attention of People, The Today Show among other National and local media.

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Jared Veldheer Michigan Ties

He went to High School at Forest Hills Public Schools in Grand Rapids, Michigan until graduating in 2006.

Veldheer attended Hillsdale College, a private non-profit college in Hillsdale, Michigan from 2006-2009 before his move to the NFL.

Jared Veldheer History in the NFL

Jared was drafted in 2010 to the Oakland Raiders and stayed with the team playing couple of different positions on the Offensive line until 2013.

Veldheer signed a 5 year deal with the Arizona Cardinals in 2014 but was put on the injured reserve list in 2017 due to an ankle injury.

Jared started 12 games with the Denver Broncos in 2018.  He missed 4 games due to a knee injury according to DenverBroncos.com.  He was then signed to the New England Patriots practice squad only to retire a week later.

Following his May 2019 retirement announcement, Veldheer signed with the Green Bay Packers in November of 2019 but suffered a concussion in a game at the end of that season against the Detroit Lions.  The game against the Lions was his second game with the Packers.  He announced his second retirement from the NFL in September of 2020.

Veldheer was once again reinstated and signed on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad in 2020.  He was later activated to play in two games with the Colts in January of 2021 according to Colts.com.  A couple of days after his final game with the Colts Veldheer signed with the Packers again only to end up on the Covid/reserved list one day later.  According to CBS Sports, months before the 2021 season began, the Packers suspended Jared for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.  Jared soon announced his retirement from the league for the final time.