Food insecurity is a longstanding issue that has been exacerbated by the pandemic and NBA legend Michael Jordan is putting his focus on helping families in need. According to Variety, the NBA Hall of Famer gifted the nonprofit Feeding America with a $2 million donation.
According to the organization, there has been a 60 percent increase in the number of people seeking help from food banks and nearly 50 million people may experience food insecurity due to the public health crisis. Cognizant of the staggering statistics, Jordan wanted to step up to help eliminate socio-economic barriers that stand in the way of accessibility to food. He donated a portion of the proceeds he earned from The Last Dance; an Emmy-winning docuseries that chronicled his storied career. The funds will be distributed amongst food banks in Chicago and the Carolinas.
“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,” he wrote in a statement. “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.” Feeding America has a network of 60,000 food pantries and 200 food banks.
This isn’t the only philanthropic effort that Jordan has led this year. As part of his mission to address healthcare inequities, he opened a clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina. The clinic—which is the second location opened by Jordan—offers care for individuals who are uninsured. “When we came together to mark the first clinic’s opening last fall, no one could have predicted we would be facing a global pandemic just five months later. I’m so proud of the positive impact our clinic has had on the community so far, especially during COVID-19,” he said.
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