Beyond his storied basketball career, NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson is known for his philanthropic work. The mogul’s latest community impact project was centered on combatting food insecurity in Detroit, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Johnson joined forces with General Motors on Saturday to host a food giveaway at Second Ebenezer Church. The effort was part of a larger initiative the Michigan native launched 8 years ago dubbed the Holiday Hope program. During the event, Johnson helped provide over 800 families from the local community with food, toiletries, children’s books, and other basic necessities.
Johnson says he hopes the event will help families usher in the holiday season with a sense of joy. “Everybody should be able to enjoy the holidays, to be able to feed their families, and sometimes because it is tough, we want to step in and make sure that they can have a good Thanksgiving and hopefully as well as Christmas,” he said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “A lot of times it’s not even their fault that they’re hurting, so we just want to make sure that we bless families at this time of need. And my heart feels so good to be home.”
Bishop Edgar Vann who serves at the Detroit-based house of worship says inflation has created financial obstacles for many families and he’s grateful that the church can step in and help alleviate the burdens. “People don’t know what’s going to happen next for many of them. And so, families are often left in an area sort of in the lurch a bit, and so we think we’re filling in a very important and significant gap,” he shared.
Projects like the one Johnson, General Motors, and Second Ebenezer Church are leading are needed. The Detroit Food Policy Council reported 48 percent of households in the city are dealing with food insecurity.
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