MIAMI (CBSMiami) – For the 21st year, NBA Hall of Famer and volunteers with the Overtown Youth Center filled up families’ cars with Thanksgiving meals, from turkey to stuffing and all the fixin’s in between.
For the youth center founder Mourning, it’s an exciting time of year too.
“It’s truly a blessing when you think about this holiday season, when you think about the pandemic and how it’s affected so many different lives,” he said.
Heat legend Alonzo Mourning overseeing the Thanksgiving food distribution. (CBS4)
Education is the goal for his foundation, but he also looks for ways to support the kids and their families too.
“To provide support during the holiday season, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, it’s extremely rewarding and fulfilling that we’ve been able to uplift so many different families truly in need,” said Mourning.
In need especially after so many losses and now inflation in costs of just about everything.
“This financial pandemic, the social pandemic, and also, obviously, the viral pandemic has affected all of our lives,” said Mourning.
That’s why it’s a team effort for Mourning and his foundation, with assists from the Miami Masquerade Ball and Honey Shine Incorporated. On Tuesday, the 300 families that stopped by Booker T Washington Senior high school all left with smiles.
“We’ve had to adjust, but when you think about our country, we are a very resilient country and we bounce back. The more we come together, there is strength in numbers and I’m a strong believer that relationships are the fabric of our lives,” said Mourning.
