Michael Jordan donates $2M of ‘The Last Dance’ proceeds to food shelter
'It’s more important than ever to pause and give thanks.'
Michael Jordan has donated $2 million to food banks in the Carolinas and Chicago, using proceeds from The Last Dance.
Families from North Carolina, South Carolina and Chicago are receiving help from the NBA legend and Feeding America amid the coronavirus pandemic, TMZ reports.
READ MORE: Michael Jordan issues statement about George Floyd: ‘I am plain angry’
“In these challenging times and in a year of unimaginable difficulty due to covid-19, it’s more important than ever to pause and give thanks,” Jordan said in a statement a day before Thanksgiving. “I am proud to be donating additional proceeds from ‘The Last Dance’ to Feeding America and its member food banks in the Carolinas and Chicago to help feed America’s hungry.”
The pandemic has caused a lot of financial hardship for many Americans. According to Feed America, an estimated 1 in 6 Americans could face hunger. However, thanks to Jordon’s generosity, the most vulnerable in neighborhoods in his hometown are receiving timely aid.
The Last Dance, a docuseries that aired on ESPN, chronicles Jordans last season with the Chicago Bulls. He reportedly bagged between $3 million to $4 million from the series, according to Forbes Magazine.
This is not the first time Jordan has used his profits from The Last Dance for social justice. He previously invested millions in the nonprofit Friends of the Children, which trains and mentors Black children, CBS Sports reports.
READ MORE: Michael Jordan, Jordan Brand to donate $100 million to racial equality organizations
Feed America, a non-profit food bank network that is headquartered in Chi town, supply options for families to receive food.
As theGrio previously reported, the six-time NBA champ has vowed to donate $100 million via the Jordan Brand to organizations supporting “racial equality, social justice and greater access to education” over the next 10 years.
This decision follows the death of George Floyd, who was killed on Memorial Day while in police custody in Minneapolis.
According to its website, from March through the end of October, its food banks have distributed about 4.2 billion meals to unfortunate neighborhoods, saying, “we’ve seen a tremendous increase in the amount of people visiting food banks. And in many cases, those people are visiting for the first time. In fact, from March through June, 4 in 10 people visiting food banks were there for the first time.”
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