SAN ANTONIO – In September, Spurs great Tim Duncan asked the San Antonio and South Texas area to assist him in recovery efforts for the U.S. Virgin Islands in the wake of two Category 5 hurricanes that ravaged the islands.
Duncan was so moved by the community’s support for his effort in his home islands that he now wants to ensure local families are not left behind during the holidays.
Duncan announced a major initiative Tuesday at the San Antonio Food Bank to help feed families in need during Christmas. He encouraged the community to meet his “2:1” challenge.
“I’m going to put out a challenge of $500,000 using their idea of a two-to-one match,” Duncan said. “For every dollar that is donated, i’ll donate $2 to match that. Hopefully we can reach that goal and help a lot of families.”
Duncan said he was inspired to reach out to the community again after the support he received for his U.S. Virgin Islands relief fund, and all the hard work the food bank does in the area.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and San Antonio Food Bank President and CEO Eric Cooper joined Duncan for his announcement.
“This is a need we all know about and it’s great to have someone like Timmy involved,” Popovich said. “He’s been a stalwart off the court, even more than on the court and most people don’t know that because he’s been so silent and selfless about the things that he does so I’m hoping that everyone will take him up on this because the need never stops.”
Along with the “2:1” challenge, Cooper said anyone who donates $21 or more will get a Christmas card from Duncan, and the first 10 donations of $2,100 or more will have an opportunity to get an autographed Tim Duncan championship hat from the Spurs' 2014 championship season.
“I think Tim just wants to use his influence to bring some awareness to the issue of hunger and the opportunity for people to get involved and make a difference,” Cooper said.