Carmelo Anthony delivers food and supplies to hurricane victims

The NBA mandates a certain amount of community involvement from its teams and players through the league’s NBA Cares program. It’s a solid way for the athletes to give back to communities in need, without having to go through the trouble to organize these efforts themselves.

It’s even better when a player, especially a superstar like Carmelo Anthony, takes the initiative to do something special on his own.

Anthony did exactly that on Thursday, when he went to the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn to personally pass out supplies to those in need. Via ESPNNewYork:

“I wanted to step up to the forefront,” Anthony said to a small group of reporters on the scene. “We all know what Sandy did to our city, especially to Brooklyn, and to Red Hook, with us being right here on the water. It hit us pretty bad, so I feel like I’m the face of Red Hook and I wanted to come back and give back to the place I grew up.”

In conjunction with the Carmelo Anthony Foundation, Feed the Children and Metro Ministries, Anthony delivered 500 boxes filled with food and cleaning supplies to a housing project on Columbia Avenue, a block away from where he lived as a child in Red Hook.

We jump all over stories of athletes behaving badly, so it’s only right to give some positive publicity when it’s justified. Good on Anthony for making the effort.