Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin has appointed Milwaukee Bucks forward and fan favorite Bobby Portis Jr., a partner and advocate of the network of food banks, food pantries and local meal programs, to its board of directors, deepening a relationship that began four years ago.
Portis has worked with the organization supporting collection drives, funding mobile food distributions and using his platform to raise awareness about food insecurity, especially among children.
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“The vision has always been giving back and impacting others’ lives,” Portis said at a Tuesday press conference at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s facility (1700 W. Fond du Lac Ave.). “Coming from where I’m from – Little Rock, Arkansas – it’s similar to Milwaukee. Small town with a big drive to support one another.”
Portis has endeared himself to Bucks fans with his hustle and aggressive play. It’s common to hear chants of “Bobby! Bobby! Bobby!” echoing through Fiserv Forum when Portis is on the court.
But for Portis, the relationship and commitment to Milwaukee extends off the court.
“It’s bigger than hoops. It’s all about giving back,” Portis said. “It’s all about impacting someone else’s life and making sure they know that someone cares. Growing up, we didn’t always have the answers. My mom had four kids and worked tirelessly to take care of us, but along the way there was always someone who stepped in and gave us a helping hand. A helping hand can go a long way.”
Portis, 30, is entering his sixth season with the Bucks. He and superstar teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo are the last remaining members of the 2021 team that won the NBA title, the franchise’s first in 50 years.
“I’m forever grateful for this city. It’s definitely made me a man,” Portis said. “When I first got here, I was a boy. I was just trying to figure things out on the fly.”
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin president and CEO Patti Habeck said offering a Portis a seat on the organization’s board has been discussed since last year.
“It was Bobby’s engagement with us and Bobby’s interest in doing more that got us thinking how can we engage on a different level,” Habeck said.
That’s when the discussion shifted to having Portis in a key decision-making role as a board member.
“At first, we thought it was a little bit of a crazy idea,” she said. “The basketball seasons are so darn long, so how can this work? But Bobby kept saying that this is a priority and I want to make this work.
“It’s been clear from the beginning that Bobby leads with all heart, action and authenticity, all the time,” Habek said. “He really wants to be engaged in all the parts and pieces of the work that Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin does. Bobby brings a viewpoint of ideas and strategy to our board that we don’t have. This isn’t just a title that we offered Bobby or just a figurehead position and he never shows up. Bobby is doing the work with our board and engaging with our board, asking questions and diving deep into all pieces like any board member would.”
Portis’ efforts with Feeding America has included serving as the face of the organization’s PB&J Challenge as part of an effort to engage with children in the community. Habeck also noted that Portis spent the opening day of Summerfest collecting food donations at the gate on one of the hottest days of the summer.
“Even if I didn’t get a contract with the Bucks, this is still something that was important to me,” Portis said. “It’s bigger than just my contract with the Bucks.”
Portis did, indeed, sign a new contract with the Bucks. After declining his player option for the coming season, he then inked a new three-year, $44 million deal in July, which includes a player option for the 2027-28 season.
Portis said his relationship with Feeding America began to blossom the season following the Bucks run to the NBA crown.
“It just got better and better over the years. It progressed, and now we’re at this point,” he said. “It just kind of makes sense. I signed (with the Bucks) again. I’m engrained in the city. It means a lot just to have the support from Feeding America and Patti. She’s the best. We have similar traits.”
Habeck said in an interview that Portis has always impressed her with his ability to “lead with authenticity.”
“That’s very similar to who I am. I lead this organization, and I understand the business side of this but I also understand that we mix in the human side of it,” she said.
Bucks and Fiserv Forum president Peter Feigin touted Habeck as “one of our giant heroes in this community” and praised Portis’ commitment.
“This is leading by example,” Feigin said. “Bobby gives his all for the Bucks and this city. There are reasons why Fiserv resonates when this guy stands up. He’s the standard of what a professional athlete should be for their community and a shining example for his teammates and players across the NBA.”
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin launched in 1982, with its first donation of 600 pounds of Red Delicious apples. The organization has evolved into distributing more than 38 million pounds of healthy food across 35 counties each year.
Immediately following Tuesday morning’s press conference, Portis and members of the Bucks’ front office joined volunteers in packing emergency food boxes that will be distributed to communities in Southeast Wisconsin affected by last weekend’s devastating flooding.
“With everything that’s been going on the last couple of days, I’d really be remiss if I don’t take a moment to acknowledge that the recent floods and storms have really impacted our neighbors, our communities and partner pantries,” Habeck said. “Fortunately, Feeding America escaped the worst of it. We had some minor flooding but it didn’t impact our fleet or food resources. We’re in good shape, so we’ll be responding over the next days and weeks because many of our partner pantries, staff and neighbors didn’t escape the worst of it.”
