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Just a few years ago, you’d have found Juwan Morgan in a Waynesville basketball jersey.
The former Tiger has since traded his stripes to be an Indiana Hoosier and play for the Utah Jazz.
Yet, that climb to the top hasn’t changed the man behind the uniform.
“Over the last five years, I haven’t been able to be [in Waynesville] as much so now that I am here, I was just trying to do as much as I can as fast as I could,” Morgan said.
Now that he’s back home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Morgan has turned to his community.
Pastor Susan Marshall of Still Useable Ministries in St. Robert, MO says ever since Morgan was a boy, he’s always taken time for others.
“Ever since eighth grade, he’s been [volunteering], so he’s always been a giver,” Marshall said.
Now standing 6’7″, the NBA forward hasn’t lost his generous side, buying groceries for roughly 50 families in the Waynesville area.
Still Useable Ministries member Toni Shoulders was one of about ten volunteers to join Morgan in handing out the food.
Wearing masks, gloves, the group practiced social distancing while delivering a message of faith and giving families a boost this Easter weekend.
“We thought that it would be a great opportunity to feed the people and that it would take less stress off of them looking for certain food,” Shoulders said.
As for Morgan, he says he’s the one who *gets the most from a chance to give back.
“Knowing that I grew up here, it means everything really,” Morgan said. “There’s no set amount of words I could I put on it.”
Morgan and the other volunteers began handing out grocery bags at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Cars started lining up in the parking lot by 9 a.m. and within about 20 minutes, they’d given most of the food away.
