49ers visit Akron Children’s Hospital in Boardman

September 24, 2012 at 8:27p.m.

BOARDMAN

Randy Moss forgot about San Fran- cisco’s 24-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

It didn’t matter that his three catches helped move him into fourth place on the National Football League’s all-time receptions list.

And preparations for this week’s game against the New York Jets were put on the back burner.

Moss and a handful of his 49ers teammates took a time out to visit with kids and families at Akron Children’s Hospital of the Mahoning Valley in Boardman on Monday afternoon.

“It’s good for the heart and good for the soul to give back any way that you can,” Moss said. “Everything is not financial. Everything is more putting a smile on faces and making people happy.”

The 49ers arrived in Youngstown late Sunday night for what has become an annual stopover between road games.

Moss, a 14-year NFL veteran, began using his one weekday off day to make community appearances as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. He has also founded charities in his home state of West Virginia.

“This makes our day to come back,” Moss said. “It shows that we do care. It’s not watered down. There’s nothing fake about it, it’s the least we could do.”

The Community Room in building A of the hospital campus was packed with people awaiting the players’ arrival. Some players stayed to make Halloween arts and crafts and eat ice cream, others made rounds to rooms and a few played on the outside playground with kids.