Magic Johnson hosts food drive for hundreds of Detroit families: ‘Good to be home’

By Miriam Marini, Detroit Free Press

It’s a frigid morning, the first after a week of welcomed warmth, and NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson is loading turkeys and toys into car trunks at a Detroit church. 

Hundreds of cars lined the parking lot of Second Ebenezer Church on Saturday morning, waiting to be loaded up with nearly 50 pounds of goods including nonperishable foods, personal care items, children’s books, turkeys and hams. The giveaway, hosted by General Motors and Johnson, is part of Johnson’s Holiday Hope program, now in its eighth year. 

A starstruck female driver parks her car at the head of the line, the trunk open and ready to be loaded up by Johnson, and rolls down her window, “You’re here!” 

“I told y’all I’d be here, baby,” responds Johnson, who hails from Lansing. 

[…]

“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,” Johnson said. “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.”

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Johnson is far from the only Black celebrity to give back. Last month, musician Pharrell Williams announced a $2.5M award for Black And Latinx entrepreneurs.

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