Tyrese Maxey Foundation hosts third annual turkey giveaway, distributes 2,000 meals in North Philadelphia

Less than 24 hours after being on the court at the Wells Fargo Center helping the Philadelphia 76ers to their first win in over 10 days, Tyrese Maxey was on a high school court in North Philadelphia helping a different cause.

Maxey and his foundation, Tyrese Maxey Foundation, hosted their third annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway on Saturday morning at George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science in the city.

The high school’s gym was packed to the brim with food to give to those in the community that need it. Dozens of volunteers arrived early, helping set up and standing at the ready to hand out turkeys, fresh produce, side dishes and more.

“A lot of people are trying to see what we’re doing here with the Tyrese Maxey Foundation and they want to be a part of it,” Maxey said on the growth of the event. “I think it just shows the heart of Philadelphia, how people really do care about giving back and helping people out. I’m very proud of it.”

Amongst the sea of volunteers was Maxey himself, greeting attendees at the check-in desk and taking laps around the gym to help distribute food.

Tyrese Maxey Foundation has continually upped the ante on giving back around the Thanksgiving holiday in the city. Last year, the event saw 1,000 meals handed out to local Philadelphians in need. This year, that total doubled to 2,000.

“I’m so thankful I have a team around me that, when I say outlandish numbers or when I say outlandish things that I want to do to try to help out, they always try to go out of their way and figure it out,” Maxey said. “I’m very appreciative of all the volunteers, sponsors, everybody who helps us give back to this wonderful city.”

Maxey is not one to just talk-the-talk and not walk-the-walk when it comes to giving back to his communities both in Philadelphia and in his hometown of Dallas. The NBA recently named the 24-year-old the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award for the past offseason in honor of his charitable efforts in both cities throughout the summer.

Whenever he’s asked about what inspired him to be so focused on charity, Maxey always gives credit to the same person.

“My grandmother, who passed away—my dad’s mom, I called her Mimi. She was big on it, man. She was always telling me like ‘you didn’t have anybody around our neighborhood that gave back … So if you’re able to do that, if you’re able to make it, then that should be on the forefront of your mind.’ And it is. Every single time you see me do an event, I always try to be there, it doesn’t matter what the circumstance is,” Maxey said.

And if you think he’s exaggerating there at the end, he isn’t. Back in Nov. 2022, Maxey left a Sixers’ contest against the Milwaukee Bucks early with a foot injury that turned out to be a fracture that would sideline him from games for over a month. That weekend, Maxey was at the first edition of this turkey drive event.

“One time I had broken my foot the day before and my mom and everybody was like ‘I know your foot’s hurting, you don’t have to go’ but I was like ‘man, I said I was gonna be there, so I’ll be there.’ Went with a boot on, touched a lot of families, saw a lot of tears, tears of joy,” Maxey said. “It made me happy. I’m just glad to be able to bless and give back the way I’m able to.”

Maxey is someone keenly aware of the city that surrounds him and the people that inhabit it, a population that both reminds him of himself and also inspires him to do more.

“The people of this city, I relate to them a lot because of how I grew up. I grew up having to work for everything that I got. My parents, my grandparents, everybody, they work extremely hard to get to where they are now. And I had to work extremely hard to get to where I am, so I know what it’s like.

And being able to give back is a great feeling.”