Grizz Give Back in Honor of MLK

Wednesday, 12 Jan 2011

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Grizzlies will hold a Day of Service in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the Grand Lobby of FedExForum on Friday, Jan. 14 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Grizzlies Day of Service will support Feed the Children and the Samaritans Feet initiative.

The Grizzlies Day of Service will tip off at 9 a.m. when Grizzlies personnel and other volunteers distribute over 1,600 boxes of food and personal items through the Feed the Children program to preselected area nonprofits including the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis, STREETS Ministries and Girls, Inc. Grizzlies players including Zach Randolph, Mike Conley and Xavier Henry will stop by to help unload and distribute boxes prior to practice between 9:30-10:30 a.m. After practice at approximately 2 p.m., Rudy Gay will lead a second group of his Grizzlies teammates that will include Henry, DeMarre Carroll and Hamed Haddadi to finish unloading boxes for families who receive the boxes of food. The Feed the Children distribution to area non-profits will take place until 3 p.m.

The second initiative on the Grizzlies Day of Service will benefit Samaritans Feet. At 4 p.m., 300 children from Memphis Athletic Ministries, the Refugee Empowerment Program and Eikon Ministries will come to FedExForums Grand Lobby to receive a brand new pair of Nike athletic shoes. O.J. Mayo, Henry and Hasheem Thabeet will be on hand to distribute the new shoes and wash the feet of the recipients as a sign of compassion that is part of the Samaritans Feet initiative.

Feed the Children is a Christian, international, nonprofit relief organization that delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty or natural disaster.