Missy Elliott has donated $50,000 to a nonprofit in her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia to support a community food drive.
The iconic rapper and singer-songwriter provided the large amount of money to Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless through her mother, Patricia Elliott, during its community food drive at the Joe B. Fleming Building. Made during the Christmas holidays, the donation was the result of a partnership with Third Baptist Church to give the community free meals.
Speaking to ABC 8 News about the donation, Patricia explained the importance of giving back. "Life is so short," she said. "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 gave a statement to ABC 8 News about "passing out hope."
"Hope is coming from not only hot meals being served to the community, but we also had a bike drive today," he said. "We have a mobile pantry that happens every month."
Missy Elliott’s philanthropic efforts are well known in Portsmouth. Over the years, she’s given socks and shoes to hundreds of elementary school students, helped families with rent relief, and given $60,000 in toys to families in need.
In other Missy Elliott news, the rapper recently thanked her fans for helping her set a new record.
After seeing initial reports that she became the first female rapper to have six consecutive platinum studio albums, Elliott let the people who are in her corner know how appreciative she was to have their support.