The Howard men’s basketball team spent Sunday putting together bags with school supplies, snacks, and hygiene kits for students in the DMV.
WASHINGTON — The Howard men’s basketball team spent Sunday honoring the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a week of service aimed at supporting students in Title I community schools across the region.
The initiative is in partnership with United Way of the National Capital Area. The groups assembled school supplies, snacks, and hygiene kits for students in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia as part of its annual “Stuff the Bus” initiative.
The 750 snack and hygiene kits will be given to students at Cardozo Education Campus and Kelly Miller Middle School. The volunteer activity comes ahead of Howard’s MLK Day Classic game against Morehouse College — King’s alma mater — on Jan. 19.
“To have these two prestigious universities going up against each other – there are so many different people that walked and stood next to Dr. King that are Morehouse men or Howard people and alums that really make this rivalry a true great rivalry,” said Howard head coach Kenny Blakeney.
Coach Blakeney says social justice initiatives like this are an integral part of the education and experience of a student-athlete at The Mecca.
“We have legacy that have come before us and have stated that they have built Howard University in the motto of truth and service,” he said.
“Doing all the same things he would do today, in our way,” explained Howard guard Bryce Harris, “not everybody’s going to be able to go up to the podium and give a one-of-a-kind speech but we can do the smaller things and be a piece to the puzzle and able to lift up our community in our own way.”
United Way NCA’s Stuff the Bus program, now in its 10th year, focuses on addressing gaps in access to essential educational resources, particularly for students living in ALICE households — an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. According to United Way data, more than 680,000 households in the National Capital Area fall into that category.
A May 2025 United Way report found that 33% of households in the region live below the ALICE threshold, meaning they earn above the federal poverty level but still struggle to afford basic necessities.
By providing school supplies and hygiene items, the organization aims to reduce costs for families while helping students focus more fully on their education, United Way officials said.