Rhonda Mapp played her first basketball games in Montford, usually against boys at the neighborhood rec center.
After a successful college career at NC State, the 6-foot-2 center went on to become a first round draft pick for the Charlotte Sting and, later, a member of the 2002 Los Angeles Sparks championship team.
Now retired and living in Charlotte, she said she’s felt the call to return home to Asheville as part of her mission to fight food insecurity.
Over the pre-Thanksgiving Day weekend, Mapp gave away hundreds of turkeys as part of her “Racing to Feed America” campaign. The event also included a hot meal, live music and appearances from other professional athletes, including former WNBA players Tracy Reid and Kym Hampton.
“I love it because it brings unity. It brings fellowship and it just brings positive vibes,” Mapp said at the event. “Giving back to the community is my purpose. That's what makes me feel whole as a person.”
Her work comes at an important time. Grocery prices have increased by 29% in the last five years. In Western North Carolina, a place where hunger is common, food banks were already stretched thin before Hurricane Helene. Now they’re seeing record high demand at the same time that many are losing federal funding.
Andrea Jiles and her son, Samuel, stopped by the event on Saturday afternoon and walked away with two massive Butterball turkeys. They’re preparing for a meal of six which is an expensive undertaking, because the prices at the grocery store have been “totally ridiculous,” Jiles said.
The free turkeys take a lot of the stress out of the holidays, she said. Her son will cook the turkey on the grill and Andrea will make the fixins’ from scratch: greens, macaroni, stuffing and potato salad. The second turkey she picked up will remain tucked away in her freezer until next month’s Christmas dinner.
Mapps’ former teammate, Reid, said Mapp has always looked out for others, so she’s not surprised to see her cooking up community aid.
“Everybody always talks about how athletes are competitive, but Ronda has this spirit about her where she's always striving for something greater,” she said. “She’s always had this motherly feel about her.”
Kim Acree, a single mom of four, is another person who picked up a turkey at Saturday’s event. She works two jobs and stopped by before a shift at Harrah’s Cherokee Center. For Acree, Mapps’ annual homecoming is “a blessing.”
“For her to take the time out and to do this for the people, the community and just show that, you know, she cares and to bless everyone. Everyone should be thankful,” she said.
