PALM HEROES: Honoring Those Helping on the Frontlines and Beyond During COVID-19, Week 5

Amidst the uncertainty and chaos, we are in a position to make an impact.

-Stephen Curry

For our last and final hero spotlight in our series, we wanted to feature our very own Stephen Curry. Once again he has proven why he is a true Champion during a time when stepping up means more than it ever has.  His empathy, compassion and selflessness has shone through in multiple ways.  Whether it was sending a “morale-boosting” call to a group of ICU nurses working in Oakland, delivering commencement speeches to graduating students who won’t get a normal graduation ceremony, or most importantly, helping to supply 300K meals a week to those in need, Stephen has risen to the challenge, and for that, we wanted to honor him and name him our final Palm Hero. In case you haven’t seen what he’s been up to over the past months, here is a highlight of some of his efforts. 

Photo Credit: Aubrie Pick

“Be the village to help people who are in need”

Stephen alongside his wife Ayesha sought to help the many residents in Oakland that struggle each day with food insecurity. With many schools closed and the rising unemployment, this need has only been heightened. To provide some assistance with this problem, Stephen committed to helping provide nearly 300,000 meals each week to Oakland residents over the course of the next several months.  He teamed up with the Oakland Unified School district, Alameda County Community Food Bank and chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen, alongside his own Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, to help prepare, identify and distribute healthy and nutritious meals to the most vulnerable, including the elderly, homeless and low-income families. Eat. Learn. Play. has committed to 1M+ meals for Oakland kids and families, and an additional nearly 300,000 meals per week, with the help of partners, for the next several months. 

Going Live with the Man of the Hour

On March 26th, 2020, right when the world was looking for any information that could help them understand what was happening with COVID-19, Stephen, being the MVP he is, took to Instagram and hosted a live Q&A with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (and an MVP is his one right). The live session had over 50,000 concurrent viewers including former President Barack Obama, Justin Beiber, Common, and former teammates Andre Iguodala and Leandro Barbosa. In a period where there’s a lot of misinformation, Stephen led a conversation providing facts and other important information to help educate people on the importance of everyone joining together to help flatten the curve.  For 30 minutes, those who tuned in saw Curry not just as a great basketball player, but also as a leader. 

A quote that comes to mind when trying to describe Stephen’s devotion to helping others is: “Heroes don’t always wear capes, badges, or uniforms. Sometimes, they support those who do.” We want to thank and applaud Stephen and his family’s hard work and commitment they have shown and continue to show during this time of uncertainty. The NBA may not anoint an MVP this season but here at Palm, we recognize greatness when we see it, and we have witnessed that here. M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!