INDIANAPOLIS - As part of NBA Cares Season of Giving, the NBA and its teams and players will be out in their communities hosting hundreds of charitable events across the country to brighten the holidays for thousands of children and families.
On a local level, the Indiana Pacers and Papa John’s have teamed up for the Season of Giving (November 18 – December 25) by hosting the following events throughout the holiday season.
Come to Our House Thanksgiving Dinner presented by US Foods and hosted by Victor Oladipo, Doug McDermott & the Pacers Foundation
November 20
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
4:30 – 6:30 PM
In celebration of its 22nd year hosting this annual holiday tradition, the Pacers will welcome 800 men, women, and children from Central Indiana shelters to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for a warm, traditional holiday meal. Pacers players Victor Oladipo and Doug McDermott and the Pacers Foundation will serve as the official hosts of this year’s dinner, which is presented by US Foods. Levy Restaurants will prepare the meal and all leftover food will be donated to Second Helpings.
The meal will take place in the entry pavilion of Bankers Life Fieldhouse from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Pacers coaches and players, along with team alumni, local media, Pacers Sports & Entertainment staff, event sponsors and Pacers broadcasters will assist in serving their guests. Also on hand to help will be members of the Indiana Pacemates, Boomer and Freddy Fever.
In addition to the food, guests will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities which include: interactive games, photo booth; balloon artists; face painters; caricaturists and more. When the guests leave Bankers Life Fieldhouse, they will all receive a Pacers Holiday Pack which includes a variety of cold-weather items including a Pacers knit hat, Indiana Fever ear band, gloves, an Arby’s coupon, CLIF BARs and more.
Groups invited to attend include:
- Coburn Place Safe Haven
- Dalton's Food Pantry/RIZE Kids
- Dayspring Center
- Dove Recovery House
- Family Promise
- Good News Ministries
- Good Samaritan Network
- Holy Family Shelter
- Horizon House
- HVAF
- Outreach Inc.
- Salvation Army ARC
- Sheltering Wings
- Shepherd Community Center
- STOPOVER, Inc.
- The Julian Center
- The Wheeler Center for Women & Children
- Wheeler Mission
Jr. Pacers Holiday "Surprise"
November 21
6:00 – 7:00 PM
Stout Field Elementary
As part of the Jr. Pacers program cared for by Ascension St. Vincent, the Pacers will visit the Mars Hill Youth Basketball Program for a clinic and a special surprise.
Hoops for Hunger
November 25 – December 23
All Pacers home games
The Pacers have teamed up with Salesforce for Hoops for Hunger. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items when attending any Pacers home game between November 25 – December 23!
All food collected will be donated to local food pantries and missions.
IFD Fill the Bell
November 25, 27, 29
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
The Pacers have teamed up with the Indianapolis Fire Department to host Fill the Bell at select Pacers home games during the Season of Giving.
Fill the Bell helps to fund the next year’s Clothe-A-Child event. IFD firefighters can be found "standing the bell" at Pacers home games on November 25, 27 and 29. The IFD would like community members to stop by and say hello to IFD firefighters and help next year's children with your spare change.
Each year, as part of the IFD Clothe-A-Child program, children in need of assistance are assigned an IFD firefighter who helps them shop for a warm coat, clothes for school and new shoes for winter. They, along with their families, eat breakfast together (cooked by the firemen), shop for clothes and get to meet Santa.
Pacers Voices Holiday Clinic
November 26
9:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
As part of the Pacers Voices program presented by Damar, the Pacers will host a special holiday clinic and tour for students at the Independence Academy.
Kids will have the opportunity to learn the game of basketball from Pacers Alumni Darnell Hillman and Eddie Gill, take a behind-the-scenes tour of Bankers Life Fieldhouse and have lunch in the Lightbound Courtside Club, provided by Papa John’s.
Pacers Voices is a collaborative effort with Damar to use our voices to start the conversation and change the conversation around inclusion, social justice and mentoring.
Season of Giving Day of Service
December 13
1:30 – 4:30 PM
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
The Pacers have teamed up with Defenders and Million Meal Movement for a Season of Giving Day of Service! Over 400 volunteers from various community organizations, along Pacers Sports & Entertainment staff will help pack meals to benefit local food pantries. This year’s goal is 100,000 meals!
Dream Alive Celebration
December 18
6:00 – 7:30 PM
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
As another part of the Pacers Voices program presented by Damar, the Blue & Gold have teamed up with Dream Alive, Inc. to host a Dream Christmas for area children. Over 100 DREAM Alive scholars provide Christmas presents and a Holiday Celebration for 100 children living at-or-below poverty on the near-east side of Indianapolis with the help of generous volunteers and partners.
DREAM Alive’s 7th through 12th grade scholars serve as official hosts by welcoming children and their families. In addition to hosting the families at the celebration event, each scholar is paired with a child in need, and they spend the month of November budgeting, shopping and wrapping presents for this child, basically acting as a very special “Secret Santa.”
Pacers mascot Boomer, members of the Indiana Pacemates and more VIPs will be on hand to celebrate with the students, hand out presents and provide other special prizes and surprises.
Pacers "Basketballidays" Presented by JAKKS Pacific
December 2 – 18
Sites Vary
Once again Pacers Sports & Entertainment has partnered with JAKKS Pacific for “Basketballidays” – an annual toy giveaway! PS&E and JAKKS will provide thousands of toys to over 50 non-profit organizations throughout the state of Indiana to benefit children in need this holiday season. In addition, the two organizations will be taking Boomer’s sleigh for toy giveaways throughout the month of December in Ft. Wayne, Muncie, Crawfordsville, Martinsville, Plymouth, Evansville and Knightstown.
In addition, a special in-game (Indiana vs. Boston) presentation will take place on Wednesday, December 11 featuring JAKKS Pacific chairman Stephen Berman, Pacers Chairman and CEO Herb Simon and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
Shop with the Pacers presented by Circle Centre Mall
December 19
Circle Centre Mall
6:00 – 8:00 PM
On Thursday, December 19, members of the Pacers, the Indiana Pacemates and Boomer will team up with Circle Centre Mall and kids from A Kid Again for a special holiday shopping spree. Each child will receive a $200 Simon Malls gift card in which to spend throughout the mall. Players and Pacemates will assist kids in picking out their toys, trying on their shoes and more. Each family will also receive a Kroger gift card and tickets to an upcoming Pacers game.
In addition, prior to the shopping spree children and families will be served a free dinner from Papa John’s to get “fueled” to shop. Players scheduled to attend include Malcolm Brogdon, TJ Leaf, T.J. McConnell, Victor Oladipo, Edmond Sumner and T.J. Warren***.
***all players subject to change