Missy Elliott continues her philanthropic work through her latest giveback.
The “Work It” legend recently donated a whopping $50,000 to a nonprofit in her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia to support families facing food insecurity. Elliott made the generous donation to Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless through her mother, Patricia Elliott, during a holiday community food drive at the Joe B. Fleming Building. Partnering with Third Baptist Church, the initiative provided free hot meals, grocery support and dayily essential to residents in need. Their efforts not only provided resources, but real hope.
Patricia Elliott spoke with ABC 8 News to share the deeply personal reason behind the family’s commitment to giving back.
“Life is so short,” Patricia told ABC News 8. “You can be up today, and down tomorrow. But it doesn’t mean that you stay down, ’cause we were almost there, and that’s why it’s very sensitive to us that we give and we give back to the community.”
Third Baptist Church pastor Joseph Fleming described the event as more than just a food drive.
“We’re passing out hope,” he explained. “Not only hot meals, but we also had a bike drive today. We have a mobile pantry that happens every month.”
This latest act of generosity is just another chapter in Missy Elliott’s long history of hometown heroism. Over the years, she has provided socks and shoes to hundreds of elementary school students, helped families with rent relief, and donated more than $60,000 in toys to families in need throughout Portsmouth.