“It means everything.”
That was the constant theme as Tyrese Maxey discussed his latest opportunity to serve Philadelphia families in need. Maxey and his Tyrese Maxey Foundation held their fifth annual Thanksgiving Turkey Drive on Saturday morning at the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center, providing Thanksgiving meals to a record 5,000 local families, including turkey, sides, fresh produce and more.
“It's amazing, man. The foundation's been great. My uncle, my mom, my dad, my grandmother, everybody who helps me put this on the board, all the sponsors, and everybody who helps, the volunteers, everybody.
“It's just a really cool moment. We walked the first family through, and they got their food, and I got to have a good conversation with the son. We walked through. We talked a little bit about basketball, talked about Jaylen [Brown] a little bit. The mom was happy, shed some tears. So this has been great. It's a great environment.”
Since launching the event five years ago, Maxey and his foundation have steadily expanded its reach. This year's drive served 5,000 families, up from 3,000 last year, marking the largest turnout in the event's history.
Helping Maxey expand the event this year was new teammate Jaylen Brown, who joined the effort through his 7uice Foundation. Brown has a long history of community involvement and has already begun establishing roots in Philadelphia. Last month, he visited three local schools alongside several teammates to connect with students.
“It means everything, man. Jaylen's been here for I don't know what three months maybe on the team. I don't know how long it's been, but for him to come to an event like this and really support me and my foundation and just the city of Philadelphia, I just say this, Philadelphia fans, that's somebody we can get behind for sure. Somebody who comes out and really takes the time out that day to do this. I'm very much thankful.”
With Brown's support, this year's drive expanded significantly, bringing the total number of families served through the annual event to more than 10,000 over five years.
Maxey's commitment to giving back is rooted in the influence of his late grandmother, Mildred “Mimi” Maxey, who encouraged him to use his success to support others.
During the event, Maxey recalled one of their final conversations, when she urged him to give back to whichever community he would eventually play in while continuing to support his hometown of Garland, Texas, and the surrounding area.
“I hope she's shining down on me, laughing and smiling and proud of me.”
This summer, Maxey's foundation raised more than $440,000 during its annual Friends & Family Weekend to support its work strengthening families, empowering youth and serving local communities. The foundation also provided $35,000 to support local students pursuing higher education.
From youth basketball camps and scholarships to holiday meals and toy drives, Maxey's foundation has continued expanding its reach throughout Philadelphia and beyond.
And he has no intention of slowing down.
“As long as I'm here, and as long as they allow me to do so, I'm gonna continue to do it. And I'm very thankful to be here,” Maxey said.
To learn more about the Tyrese Maxey Foundation and how you can support the nonprofit, visit tyresemaxeyfoundation.com.
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