-Team of Partners Providing Food Boxes to 500 CMSD Families at Drive-Thru Event-
CLEVELAND, February 15, 2022 - The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), Greater Cleveland Food Bank, and The Sherwin-Williams Company are teaming up to serve Cleveland families during NBA All-Star Weekend.
On Saturday, February 19, the Legends Care Drive-Thru Food Distribution at CMSD’s East Professional Center will welcome families who have children attending CMSD schools and provide them with boxes filled with shelf-stable food items.
“It is extremely important that the NBRPA and our Legends give back to families in each NBA All-Star Game host city through our Legends Care programs,” said Scott Rochelle, NBRPA President and CEO. “After learning that Cleveland’s child poverty rate is consistently one of the country’s highest, we knew that we wanted to make an impact in the fight against hunger and have assembled a powerful team of partners who are leaders in this space and are advocating for children and families every single day.”
Statistics show that one in five children live in poverty in Cleveland. With 100% of CMSD’s 35,696 enrolled students being economically disadvantaged, serving this student population at a CMSD site became top priority for the NBRPA.
“Hunger is one of the very significant barriers that our students and families face living in a city that ranks at the top nationally for child poverty,” said Eric Gordon, CEO Cleveland Metropolitan School District. “It interferes with the ability of our children to learn and succeed. We are deeply grateful for the assistance that partners like the National Basketball Retired Players Association, and Greater Cleveland Food Bank provide to our families in need.”
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank seeks to bridge the meal gap, ensuring that Cleveland-area residents have the food they need each day. The Food Bank will be providing non-perishable items for the Legends Care Drive-Thru Food Distribution.
Founded in 1866 in Cleveland, The Sherwin-Williams Company, a global leader in the manufacture, development, distribution and sale of paint, coatings and related products, rounds out this powerful Legends Care team as the official volunteer partner. Sherwin-William employees will be working alongside NBA and WNBA Legends providing an off-the-court assist for CMSD families.
“It is an honor to take part in an event that will have a positive impact on fighting hunger in our local community,” says John G. Morikis, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sherwin-Williams. “Our team is proud to celebrate Cleveland’s hosting of the NBA All-Star game by lending our support to the Legends Care Drive-Thru Food Distribution. We want to thank all those who are making this event a reality for our neighbors in need.”
About the National Basketball Retired Players Association:
The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is comprised of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA, WNBA and Harlem Globetrotters. It is a 501(c)3 organization with a mission to develop, implement and advocate a wide array of programs to benefit its members, supporters and the community. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. The NBRPA works in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Legends Care is the charitable initiative of the NBRPA that positively impacts youth and communities through basketball. Scott Rochelle is President and CEO, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Chairman of the Board Johnny Davis, Vice Chairman Dave Cowens, Treasurer Sam Perkins, Secretary Grant Hill, Thurl Bailey, Caron Butler, Jerome Williams, Shawn Marion, David Naves and Sheryl Swoopes. Learn more at legendsofbasketball.com.
To follow along with the NBRPA, find them on social media at @NBAalumni on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch or on Facebook at NBA Alumni.
About Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD):
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is the second largest public school system in Ohio. As a portfolio district, it has developed a variety of school models and lets parents and students choose the model that provides the right fit. CMSD has made significant progress under The Cleveland Plan, a customized blueprint for education reform that was written into state law in 2012, and in the years since then has achieved some of the fastest academic growth in Ohio. The District has embarked on a new Vision of Learning that is based on mastery of content, learning that occurs anytime and anywhere, whole-human learning and personalized pathways to learning.
About the Greater Cleveland Food Bank
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio having provided more than 53 million meals in FY2021 to more than 343,000 hungry people in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Ashland and Richland counties. Our mission is working together to ensure that everyone in our communities has the nutritious food they need every day. We do this through both food distribution and SNAP outreach efforts. The Food Bank continues to provide nutritious food to those in need while working to end hunger tomorrow through connecting clients to resources. For more information go to www.GreaterClevelandFoodBank.org.
About The Sherwin-Williams Company
Founded in 1866, The Sherwin-Williams Company is a global leader in the manufacture, development, distribution, and sale of paint, coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers. The Company manufactures products under well-known brands such as Sherwin-Williams®, Valspar®, HGTV HOME® by Sherwin-Williams, Dutch Boy®, Krylon®, Minwax®, Thompson's® Water Seal®, Cabot® and many more. With global headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, Sherwin-Williams® branded products are sold exclusively through a chain of more than 5,000 Company-operated stores and facilities, while the Company's other brands are sold through leading mass merchandisers, home centers, independent paint dealers, hardware stores, automotive retailers, and industrial distributors. The Sherwin-Williams Performance Coatings Group supplies a broad range of highly-engineered solutions for the construction, industrial, packaging and transportation markets in more than 120 countries around the world. Sherwin-Williams shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: SHW). For more information, visit https://www.sherwin-williams.com/.
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CONTACT:
Julio Manteiga, NBRPA, (516) 749-9894, jmanteiga@legendsofbasketball.com