I visited with some former NBA players in Fort Worth this morning. What were they doing?
“Passing out turkeys and all of the trimmings to families, and we’re having a great time doing it,” said Willie Davis, the local chapter president for the National Basketball Retired Players Association.
They had teamed up with Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, located just north of the historic Stockyards.
“Giving out these turkeys is always a good time,” said Morlon Wiley. “I used to be one of these people that come through these lines and try to get a free turkey and the fixings that go along with it. We enjoy interacting with the people. They allowed us to come and utilize their church and just have some fun. Everybody can be fed during Thanksgiving.”
“Being able to come out and serve and see everybody laugh, see the guys – it’s a great experience,” added Chris Owens.
As he watched cars pull up to receive bags of trimmings and frozen turkeys, Kraig Pullam, the church’s pastor, noted that his congregation serves the community in a number of ways to address food deserts, including through the Tarrant Area Food Bank. But having the former pro players there adds a special element.
“They want to serve,” Pulliam said. “They’re excited about being here, about meeting our members, meeting our volunteers, our young people, taking pictures.”
Stephen Howard said, “We just want to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to have a great and fulfilling Thanksgiving. Nothing’s worse than food insecurity, and that’s one of the major issues in America today. We’re just trying to do our part as the Dallas NBRPA chapter to just try to make things better.”
