TEMPE, Ariz. -- Ifeanyi Momah has no problem playing football in front of crowds. Every week, he takes the field in front of 60,000 people -- at least. It's when he has to speak in front of a group of people, however, that his nerves kick into overdrive.

But when the Arizona Cardinals tight end spoke to a congressional committee and other influential people inside the Beltway this week about Food for the Hungry -- the organization he's involved with that teaches people in impoverished areas of the world how to grow their own food -- that anxiety floated away.

"When it comes from a place that I'm excited about, I'm excited to go speak about it," Momah said.

Arizona's Ifeanyi Momah, middle, on teaching food sustainability: "... if you teach them how to create for themselves and feed themselves, then they can sustain the longevity." AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Momah and teammate John Wetzel (an offensive lineman) were in Washington this week along with a handful of other NFL players and a large contingent of Major League Baseball players to spread the word about Food for the Hungry, a faith-based organization that works in countries all over the world.

Momah was introduced to Food for the Hungry shortly after he was signed by the Cardinals in March 2015. He rented a guest house on Airbnb and quickly became friends with the home's owners, Dick and Liz Mulhern, who were involved with Food for the Hungry. After Momah had lived with them for three months, the Mulherns allowed him to remain free of charge for the final three months of his stay.

The 27-year-old Momah called the Mulherns his "host family." They hung out together. They dined together. They grew close. Soon after they met, the Mulherns invited him on a mission trip. He joined them in 2016 and took Wetzel along, as the pair were teammates at Boston College. Since that first trip, Momah said he and Wetzel have been involved in a handful of other missions and additional "activities."

The mission of Food for the Hungry isn't just to send food to those in need. It aims to teach and establish methods of self-sustainability. The organization typically establishes a relationship with the elders of a community, then devotes seven years to helping that community build the necessary sustainable systems to cultivate the surrounding area themselves.

"That way they're better structured to last," Momah said. "If you go somewhere, you give somebody something, they're not really going to know how to feed themselves or create for themselves, but if you teach them how to create for themselves and feed themselves, then they can sustain the longevity."

During one trip to the Dominican Republic and Haiti with the organization, Wetzel saw first-hand the obstacles that Food for the Hungry has to overcome. He spent two weeks in both countries and left with a newfound understanding of what other countries experience.

Clean water was scarce, forcing villagers to walk upwards of 20 miles one way to replenish their fresh water supply from a spring, Wetzel said. It usually took them an entire day. Bathroom facilities are also rare, which -- according to Wetzel -- could lead to polluted water. He noticed that a lack of resources in certain areas of both countries impeded basic sanitary rituals like cleaning one's hands, an activity that could change the health of a community "right away," Wetzel added.

"It was crazy," Wetzel said. "It really puts stuff into perspective. The Dominican Republic was the first culture-shock and it's even worse when you cross the border into Haiti, because they got hit with the hurricanes and all that. A lot of that farmland and mountains are completely plain, so it's hard for them to grow food.

"It's really bad. All the communities, they have upbeat attitudes. You figure their attitude would be a little different, but they're ready and willing to learn from us. And they’re all welcoming, too."

In Washington, the NFL and MLB players shared their stories and answered questions about the organization. Food for the Hungry created Striking out Poverty to assist to the Dominican Republic through working with Major Leaguers, as well as Roberto Clemente Jr., a global ambassador for the organization. Though Momah said more MLB players are currently involved with the organization than NFL players, an increasing number of football players are joining Food for the Hungry's fight. As of now, Momah estimated about 10 or 11 NFL players are involved from the Cardinals, Dolphins, Lions and Giants.

Most NFL players were made aware of Food for the Hungry through a teammate just as Wetzel was, and that line of communication has increased the NFL's involvement with the organization.

"I was interested in doing something like that, especially now that I have the platform to experience something like that," Wetzel said.