James Harden takes 20 single moms on holiday shopping spree

Houston Rockets star James Harden knows what it's like to grow up in a single parent household, and this holiday season, he took 20 single moms out on a shopping spree to give back to the community.

TheGrio Staff

Dec 22, 2015

Houston Rockets star James Harden knows what it’s like to grow up in a single parent household, and this holiday season, he took 20 single moms out on a shopping spree to give back to the community.

The group of 40 local kids and their mothers, all sporting “Team Harden” T-shirts and blue Santa hats, went out to a Target store in South Houston together.

“Growing up, my mom was by her lonesome, so I had to do a lot, me, my brother, and my sister,” said Harden. “So I can kind of relate.”

Harden’s mother couldn’t be more proud of him, and she said that she is also taking steps to help the moms. She and Harden, along with his siblings, have been “paying it forward” now for four years in a row.

“I was trying to guide the moms in a direction so they can help guide their kids in a better direction,” said Monja Willis.

The mothers who benefited from this event were touched by the act of kindness as well.

“I don’t want to say too much because I’m gonna get teary eyed,” said Demetrias, whose grandson, who she is helping to raise, came with her. “I’m getting teary eyed right now. I don’t wanna cry, okay? But it means a lot to me. It really does.”

“I’m really appreciative of this,” said Tammy Copeland, a single mother. “I work and I go to school, and I’m a single mother of three kids. Very hard, but things like this, God just keeps on blessing me.”