Teams, players tip off NBA Cares Week of Service

NEW YORK -- The NBA, its teams, and players today tipped off the 2009 NBA Cares Week of Service. With the start of the season just one week away, every NBA team will host a variety of hands-on service events through Oct. 26 in a collaborative effort to give back to children, families, and the community and to increase fan awareness about the importance of service.

The NBA Cares Week of Service aligns with President Obama's recent launch of the United We Serve initiative (serve.gov), which seeks to expand the impact of volunteer work in existing organizations and encourage individuals to make a difference in their communities. Fans can find out about volunteer opportunities and learn more about the NBA's community partners by going to NBA.com/nbacares.

Throughout the week, NBA teams will join with community members and partners in an effort to support health, education, and environmental awareness programs through several projects including:

• The Cleveland Cavaliers will host an outreach event every day this week, including serving meals to families in need and visiting youngsters at the Ronald McDonald House of Columbus.

• The Detroit Pistons will distribute 1,000 pairs of shoes to children in partnership with Samaritan's Feet.

• The Los Angeles Lakers and more than 300 community volunteers will assemble holiday care packages for deployed U.S. service members in partnership with Operation Gratitude.

• The New Orleans Hornets will visit pediatric patients at a local hospital, host a three-day children's book distribution at the Audubon Zoo, and tip off their Read to Achieve program by hosting 500 local fifth graders at Louisiana Children's Museum for a writing workshop and 13 simultaneous Reading Timeouts.

• The Phoenix Suns and community volunteers will build bunk beds for underprivileged children in partnership with Rebuilding Together.

• The Chicago Bulls will host "Operation Stock the Library" at Henry H. Nash Elementary School. Players will stock the school's library with $8,000 worth of brand-new books to tip off the team's Read to Achieve program.

• The Los Angeles Clippers will provide 1,600 local families with food and personal care items in partnership with Feed the Children.

• The Golden State Warriors will prepare and serve meals to 150 homeless children and families in partnership with CityTeam Ministries in Oakland.

• The New Jersey Nets will host a park clean-up day at Branchbrook Park in Newark, N.J.

• The Oklahoma City Thunder will spend time with youngsters at an area homeless shelter.

• The Orlando Magic will serve food to homeless children and families at the Christian Service Center in downtown Orlando's Parramore neighborhood.