Rockets guard John Wall donates meals to sheltered Houstonians

With Texas still embroiled in a massive power and water crisis brought about by unusually cold weather and failed infrastructure, Rockets star John Wall donated 600 Chick-fil-A sandwiches on Thursday night to people sheltered at the main Gallery Furniture location in Houston.

While most outages were finally restored Thursday, thousands of homes still remain without power to provide heating. Moreover, many homes suffered damage from burst pipes and could be uninhabitable until repairs are made. There’s also the matter of the homeless population, since temperatures are still too frigid to survive outside for long periods.

Those factors contributed to the NBA’s decision to postpone Friday’s game between the Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, allowing local resources to be spent elsewhere. But Wall, a five-time All-Star, wanted to do more. On Instagram, the 30-year-old explained that he wanted to feed families staying at Gallery Furniture, but he needed help finding area suppliers to accomodate that desire. Many restaurants around Houston are closed at the moment, given this week’s logistics strain.

But Chick-fil-A stepped up, and Wall made it happen from there.

“Mr. Wall is making a very generous donation of 600 sandwiches to the people that are sheltering here,” said Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, who owns and operates the Gallery Furniture retail chain. McIngvale spoke late Thursday with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston.

“It was very generous,” he said. “I informed his representative that I’ve liked John ever since he played basketball at the University of Kentucky.”

While it’s only the first season for Wall to play in Houston, he’s clearly shown interest in taking a leadership role — both on and off the court.

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