For the second consecutive year, Pacers guard Monta Ellis hosted a turkey giveaway at a local Kroger on Tuesday afternoon.
Ellis' ME8 Foundation provided 300 turkeys to families in need at one of Kroger's E. 10th St. locations. Ellis also signed autographs and, along with his wife, Juanika, and their two children, greeted each person as they went through the line.
"It's very important that I make an impact wherever I am," the veteran guard said. "It's one of the things that I promised myself, that if I ever made it, I was going to give back to the community. Every year, we bless a lot of families on the holidays, so it's just a joy."
Joy was a common emotion felt throughout the event, as hundreds of people left knowing they wouldn't have to worry about buying the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving meal.
"It's always a blessing to be a blessing to someone else," ME8 Foundation Chief Operations Officer Stacey Nickens said. "You see people walking up and saying, 'Without this, I would not have had a Thanksgiving dinner.' And it's just instantly gratifying to hear those words."
In support of the holiday perhaps most strongly identified with family, Ellis and his wife thought it was important to bring their son and daughter to the event.
"One of the things me and my wife did was bring the kids out to this to make them realize and understand how blessed and fortunate we are," Ellis said. "They should be thankful for everything we do, everything that they get, and let them know that there are people out there that are [less] fortunate, and we want to help them and put a smile on their face."
Now in his second season with the Pacers, Ellis has enjoyed getting to know the Indianapolis community.
"It's been great," he said. "It's a great town, a great city, wonderful people. When I come here and I try to touch the people, it's genuine and from my heart, to just try and let people know that it's just [about] more than basketball."