BROOKLYN – The Nets took a trip to Clinton Hill to provide support for those in need at the Child Development Support Corporation with a little bit of help from Key Food -- the official supermarket of the team.
Jarrett Allen, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson along with several volunteers from the Nets organization were on hand to assist in giving underprivileged families over 9,000 pounds of groceries that were provided by Key Food as part of the Charity Stripe program. The two former first rounders also issued a $5,000 check to the CDSC that was also from the Supermarket chain. The Kraft Heinz company also provided a $1,000 donation
“It means a lot,” Hollis-Jefferson said after the event. “Being able to give back to the community and be there for people, give people good energy and good smiles, it means a lot to me.”
Some of the families were immediately caught off guard at just how tall Allen is, immediately mentioning it to the 6-foot-11 center.
“Lots of smiling and [people saying] ‘You play basketball, you can tell,’” Allen said of his interactions with some of the families in attendance. “They look at you and they are happy that you are taking the time out of your day and busy schedules to come here and help.”
For Allen and Hollis-Jefferson, providing assistance in the community isn’t something new, they’ve been doing it since childhood.
Allen’s mother, Cheryl, wanted him to be active in helping others from an early age.
“My mom, she always wanted me to give back,” Allen said. “When I was younger, we used to always do events like this for our church.”
Hollis-Jefferson recalled his family helping out local kids in the area of Chester, PA where he grew up and said that it left a lasting impression on him.
“They were like the feeders of the neighborhood, just able to feed kids and that was just something we took pride in,” he said. “They showed me the way and how to be the man I am today. I just thank them for it.”
Hollis-Jefferson hopes he is having a similar impact in Brooklyn.
“The more you’re in the community, the more you’re able to connect with the people and that says a lot about who you are -- your character and integrity,” he said.
“I’m a family man, I’m a community man and I love being around…You want the support of the people in the city, in your community, at all times and that’s what we’re here for.”