MIAMI – “My initial response to Udonis Haslem’s article was Hallelujah,” Kimberly Wimberly-Davis said.
Kimberly and her husband help run the Coconut Grove Cowboys football program. When she read Heat Captain Udonis Haslem’s article in The Players’ Tribune, it reinforced the mission she’s been on for years: Feeding local children in need.
The Coconut Grove Cowboys Football program, the Miami Coconut Grove Track Club, and the S.T.A.R.T. Tutoring program collaborate with Dukes and Dingle Food Truck to provide hot meals to youth because they know that there is a need for these meals during “after school” hours.
Haslem saying he doesn’t usually write articles, but if you mess with his city, Miami, he’s going to speak up. Haslem tells people to stay home, specifically spring breakers who gathered in Miami and may have raised the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
One of Haslem’s main points is that many children in Miami rely on school meal programs like he did when he was a child.
With the coronavirus forcing schools to close, the hunger problem in Miami has gotten even worse.
Haslem’s article prompted Miami City commissioner Ken Russell to introduce a measure at Wednesday night’s meeting: One which would allocate $1 million to feeding local children in need.
The city manager and commission agreed to move forward with the idea, although details still need to be worked out. Russell says he has connected with Haslem about collaborating on how to best use those resources. You can read Haslem’s article here. There is some strong language.