"It was terrible": Donna Kelce shared the exhausting reality of raising Travis and Jason Kelce under one roof

In 2023, Donna Kelce offered a glimpse into the appetite that helped fuel Travis and Jason Kelce’s journeys to NFL stardom. Raising two future Super Bowl champions meant preparing for more than the usual family dinner. The brothers could polish off astonishing amounts of food, leaving their mother to keep the refrigerator stocked and find ways to meet their growing nutritional needs. From whole chickens and steaks to pancakes and peanut butter sandwiches, Donna’s memories reveal how food became an important part of raising two ambitious athletes. Her account also highlights the demands of their busy schedules and the practical ways she supported their sporting dreams.Donna Kelce reveals Travis and Jason Kelce’s enormous appetitesSpeaking exclusively to PEOPLE on October 10, 2023, Donna recalled how much her sons ate during their high school years. Their appetites were so impressive that a regular family meal often required plenty of preparation."They ate a lot," Donna told PEOPLE exclusively of her sons, who currently play for the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. "They could sit down and eat an entire chicken in high school each — not together; each one of them could finish a chicken."Keeping food available was a constant task. Donna made sure the refrigerator had plenty of chicken, steak, hamburgers and other meals the boys enjoyed. Milk was another essential, although it rarely lasted long enough."milk was completely gone," she said, explaining that the family needed to buy more every day. Leftovers were equally short-lived, even when someone labelled them or tried to keep them aside.The brothers’ appetites followed them to college, too. During a visit to the University of Cincinnati, Donna asked them where they wanted to eat. They chose IHOP, which she initially expected to be an inexpensive option.Instead, she found herself looking at a table covered with food."So we're sitting down and there's like 18 plates on the table," remembered Donna. "There's steak, there's pancakes — and they devoured it all... You have to remember that they lose pretty much 14 to 15 lbs. every time they play," she continued. "So it gets kind of crazy and you have to replenish that pretty fast."How Donna Kelce kept her sons fuelled for footballFeeding two athletes was not always about elaborate home-cooked meals. With games, travel and other commitments filling their days, Donna often relied on fast food when time was limited."It was terrible, but you had to get from game to game to game," she explained. "We had to go to the store or go through a drive-through. That's all the time we had."She also kept simple snacks ready, including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and marshmallow treats. Donna wanted her sons to have something convenient to eat between their demanding activities."There wasn't any kind of energy stuff or whatever to give them an extra boost in the second half of a game, so I did that."Her approach was practical: provide filling meals, keep snacks close and make sure her sons had food when they needed it.Years later, Donna’s own travel habits still reflect those lessons. Her partnership with KIND introduced a limited-edition product called Donna’s Purse Snacks, Dark Chocolate Vanilla Cashew Dipped Clusters. The product sold out within 24 hours, according to the report.Donna also explained that she continues to carry snacks while travelling, especially when busy schedules make regular meals difficult. Her story shows that behind two successful NFL careers was a mother who understood the importance of being prepared, even when that meant buying groceries almost every day.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.