On Sunday, Giannis Antetokounmpo, his fiancée Mariah Riddlesprigger, and their sons Maverick and Liam gave away basics to underprivileged neighborhood families on Milwaukee’s southwest side. He had one child on his shoulders and the other at his side.
They were among the scores of volunteers who helped at a drive-up distribution event for the Milwaukee Diaper Mission, which took place at Hayat Pharmacy, 807 W. Layton Ave., to distribute food, diapers, wipes, and other items.
Meagan Johnson, who co-founded the Diaper Mission, stated, “We wanted to put this event together so that we could support families with the essentials they need right before the holidays and give back to the community.”
The Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation organizes an annual diaper and charity drive to benefit MDM, and this year’s BIG Give Back was its finale.
“I’m blessed to be able to provide my kids with meals and with diapers and with what they need,” Riddlesprigger, who’s on MDM’s board of directors, told the Journal Sentinel. “I just want to help bless other people do the same thing. … It’s important to help other people just provide for their family and to take one worry off their plate.”
On Sunday, a number of companies, including Culver’s, and nonprofits, including Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, took part.
In addition to food and painkillers for the kids, there were 40,000 diapers to be distributed to 300 households.
How the distribution event was carried out
A car pulled up to the front of the queue, stopping first at the food-filled tables of Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.
According to Scott Marshall, vice president of development and communications at FAEW, each automobile was given a cardboard box containing necessities like peanut butter, cans of soup and spaghetti sauce, frozen chicken, and bags of apples, potatoes, and onions.
According to Marshall, the companies that volunteered at this booth were Physicians Realty Trust and Equitable Advisors, who also contributed to the expense of the food that was distributed.
The next stop for the car was the Diaper Mission tent, where visitors could pick up wipes and diapers in sizes newborn through six, as well as pull-ups in sizes two and five.
Every year, MDM hosts two to four distribution events that are comparable to Sunday’s.
“It’s our goal to provide a reliable source of diapers to our community, so these events really help us accomplish that,” Johnson said.
The vehicle’s final stop was the Hayat Pharmacy booth, which was handing out bags with children’s pain reliever and informational materials about the groups that participated in the event.
“We know the need is great,” said Kristen Adams, Hayat’s marketing director. “We want all of our babies and our families to be happy and healthy.”
COVID and flu vaccines were also offered by Hayat.
Culver’s was at the event, too, giving out $5 gift cards and free scoop tokens.
