Thanks to the generosity of Charvarius Ward (Mooney), San Francisco 49ers Cornerback and McComb native, the Mississippi Food Network (MFN) provided holiday turkeys for 320 families on November 21st, 2022. The distribution occurred at the Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Mississippi in McComb, MS.
“Charvarius used to attend the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Mississippi,” shared Garland Ward, his uncle. “It’s important to him to give back to the organization that was there for him as a kid.”
Ward could not attend this year’s turkey drive due to the San Francisco 49ers playing in Mexico, but there were plenty of helping hands to hand out turkeys. High School Football players from South Pike, North Pike, and McComb High, came out to volunteer. Turkeys were available on a first-come, first-served basis and distributed in a drive-thru format. The drive officially kicked off at 10 am, but residents started lining up as early as 8:30 am to receive a turkey.
“McComb has always been good to Charvarius,” said Garland Ward. “He wants them to know how much he appreciates their continued support after all these years.” The turkey drive is the largest give-back event Charvarius Ward does in McComb, but you can find him spreading love throughout the year. “He does so much more than the turkey drive,” said Garland Ward. “He does countless small things for the kids throughout the year, helping how he can.”
The Mississippi Food Network (MFN) worked with Charvarius Ward to order the turkeys and deliver them to the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Mississippi. The Mississippi Food Network is a food bank headquartered in Jackson and is a Feeding America-affiliated food bank serving 56 counties in central Mississippi. MFN acquires, stores, and distributes food and household items to more than 430 member agencies in our service area. Member agencies are churches or 501c3 nonprofit agencies or emergency food pantries, daycare centers, emergency shelters, group homes, soup kitchens, teen centers, alcohol and drug rehabs, afterschool programs, homeless shelters, and senior citizen programs. We serve more than 150,000 people monthly through our member agencies and distributed 32.6 million pounds of food in 2021.
To learn more about Mississippi Food Network, visit their website at www.msfoodnet.org. www.facebook.com/MSFoodNetwork
You can catch Charvarius Ward in action the Sunday after Thanksgiving as the San Francisco 49ers take on The New Orleans Saints.
Photos provided by the Mississippi Food Network.
