OKLAHOMA CITY, Friday, Nov. 12 – The Oklahoma City Thunder announced today it will begin its third annual Holiday Assist community initiative this Saturday, Nov. 13. The holiday initiative will kick off with Thabo Sefolosha and Thunder staff giving out 400 Thanksgiving dinners at the Presbyterian Urban Mission. The month-long Holiday Assist is again being presented by Cox. This year’s program will include a variety of community outreach events involving Thunder players, coaches and staff, as well as the annual Grandparents Raising Grandchildren shopping spree.
Below are the events scheduled, as of now, for the 2010 Holiday Assist events, presented by Cox. More events and community initiatives will be added as the holiday season approaches. Thousands of people were impacted during last year’s Holiday Assist.2010 THUNDER HOLIDAY ASSIST SCHEDULE Saturday, Nov. 13 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Presbyterian Urban Mission (3737 N. Portland Ave.)
The Thunder’s Thabo Sefolosha will distribute 400 ready-to-cook turkey dinners to low-income families. Cox volunteers and Thunder staff will also be on hand to help. Sefolosha and the Thunder are providing 200 turkeys, while Homeland is matching this donation with another 200. Thursday, Nov. 18 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Penn Square Mall
Rumble and the Thunder Girls will participate in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree kick off celebration. Tuesday, Nov. 23 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. – City Rescue Mission (800 W. California Ave.)
The entire Thunder roster, along with coaches, will be serving Thanksgiving dinner to more than 700 homeless and low-income adults and families at the City Rescue Mission of Oklahoma City. Wednesday, Nov. 24 5: 30 p.m., prior to the Thunder vs. Dallas game – Oklahoma City Arena The Thunder will host a food drive to benefit the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. For each donation, fans will receive a raffle ticket for the chance to win Thunder prizes and VIP access to Graham Colton’s annual Thanksgiving benefit concert, which will be later that night. Sunday, Dec. 5 5 p.m., prior to the Thunder vs. Golden State game – Oklahoma City Arena
The Thunder will host a toy drive outside the Arena to benefit the Salvation Army. For each donation, fans will receive a raffle ticket for the chance to win Thunder prizes. Thursday, Dec. 16 4 p.m. – Super Target (13924 N. Penn Ave.)
All-team holiday shopping spree for ten families from the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program . The families and players will go on a Holiday Shopping Spree at the Target on Penn and Memorial. Thursday, Dec. 30 Time TBD – Cox Convention Center
The Thunder will again assist the Oklahoma Blood Institute with its Holiday Blood Drive, providing a ticket voucher to a future Thunder home game to everyone who gives blood on that day.