For NBA FIT Week, the Brooklyn Nets partnered with Children of Promise and The Campaign Against Hunger to create an urban farm experience. They gave local kids a hands-on experience around a program whose goal is to provide local communities with the resources to make healthy choice for the mind, body and spirit.
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Founded in 2009, Children of Promise is the only after-school program and summer day camp in New York City designed to meet the needs, interests and concerns of children who have a parent in prison. “The purpose and the goal, the mission of this organization, is to provide resources to families who’ve been impacted by mass incarceration,” said Bob McNeil, a program manager with the organization. “This shows up in mentorship programs for the kids. It shows up in after-school services for the kids, mental health services. It shows up in volunteering.”
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The Campaign Against Hunger has grown from a small basement pantry to an organization offering hundreds of classes, workshops and demonstrations each year with a full suite of social services. “The Campaign Against Hunger is a 23-year-old organization,” said Racquel Grant, the group’s development director. “We’ve been working in the anti-hunger space and our mission is to empower those we serve to live healthier, more productive, and self-sufficient lives by increasing their access to emergency food with dignity.”
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The event included a visit to one of The Campaign Against Hunger’s urban farms, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and a healthy cooking workshop with the group’s executive chef.
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“The Brooklyn Nets is not just the players you see on TV,” said McNeil. “It’s an organization who cares about the community that it’s in as you hear by the philanthropy that the players to themselves, but outside of the players, those who are part of the organization. It makes it real. It makes it tangible. Not only can I have a relationship by buying tickets and going to see the Brooklyn Nets play. They’re in my community, helping me.”