October 24, 2007

The New Orleans Hornets know first hand what it takes to rebuild a community. Last week during their preseason game with the Miami Heat, the Hornets shared that compassion with the people of Biloxi, Mississippi, through a variety of community initiatives.

On Wednesday, the Hornets’ Read to Achieve program visited Lopez Elementary and distributed more than 200 books to students courtesy of the New Orleans Hornets. Hornets TV play-by-play broadcaster Bob Licht was joined by Hugo the Hornet for a Read to Achieve assembly. Licht read out loud and talked to kids about the importance of literacy. Throughout the next two days, the Hornets stopped at one after-school program and five more local schools and distributed more than 2,000 books to promote literacy among children.

Before the Hornets vs. Miami game at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, the entire Hornets team and coaches joined international hunger relief organization Feed the Children and provided 800 Biloxi families food and personal care items. Cars were lined up throughout the empty lot and down the street as players directed traffic, greeted the families and placed boxes into their vehicles.