Ripping bikes around the concourse at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday evening, Hunter Henry was transported back to his childhood.

Long days racing with his friends made for fond memories as a kid, but the New England Patriots tight end now realizes the independence that came with owning his own bike – a luxury not everyone is afforded.

In partnering with Communities for People, he hoped to change that locally for at least 50 children in foster care.

"Look at the weather today," Henry said at the event. "It's getting beautiful outside, so to be able to get these kids a bike is something special. Something so simple about a bike that we take for granted sometimes is the ability to get outside and ride with your friends around the street."

Henry got to do just that Wednesday, with Patriots teammates Drake Maye and Antonio Gibson showing up to support him and interact with the youth.

While the kids didn't know it when they arrived, each went home with a brand-new Guardian bicycle, along with safety helmets, pumps, and bike locks. The donation was made possible thanks to UnitedHealthcare, who generously teamed up with Henry and his wife, Parker, in recognition of National Foster Care Month.

"In addition to riding bikes being healthy, it's also about our first bikes giving us independence," said Craig Gordon, president and CEO of Communities for People.

"It was the first time you could kind of get around on your own and go visit your friends. You could go to school, or to work, and it's really a symbol of responsibility and freedom."

Entering his fifth season in New England, the community here means a lot to the Henry family and compels them to give back to the place they started their own family.

While Henry and his wife don't have a personal connection to anyone who experienced the foster care system, being parents makes them feel invested in the cause.

"We don't have a personal connection to (foster care) but we have two kids now – two young kids," Henry said.

"I love my kids to death and just the thought of other kids in here and around the country not having a parent present, or maybe they don't have the stability that my kids have, my kids are very blessed in that aspect. To be able to provide a presence and maybe be someone they can look up to, or hopefully I can be an example for, it's a big deal. So, we don't have a personal connection, but we feel personally involved."

Knowing the challenges these children face, Henry said seeing their joy and happiness has much more of an impact on him than he might have on them.

While the Henry family support a handful of charitable organizations aimed toward helping children, this is their second time partnering with Communities for People – a nonprofit offering a wide range of impactful programs for children and families in the foster care system.

"Communities for People is an incredible organization," said Henry.

"It does a lot of great work in Boston and Rhode Island. My wife and I actually found out about it a few years ago when we got into town here and have been able to be hands on with them a few times. I've done a few events with Communities for People and the impact they make on these kids is life changing in a lot of aspects. So, to do an event like this and get bikes out to these kids, put a smile on their face, is a big deal."

Learn more about Communities for People here.