cover-image

For anyone that has had the privilege of meeting 2014 WNBA Champion Shay Murphy, you’ve undoubtedly seen firsthand the kindness and generosity she naturally inspires.

Amazingly, her level of benevolence increased after a knee injury kept her out of the 2015 season.

“As a kid, I thought you had to be super rich and have a lot of money to help others,” Murphy said. “But the older I get and the more my faith has grown, I have learned that you don’t need to be a millionaire or have tons of money to give back to people in need. Instead of moping and being depressed about my knee injury, I wanted to use the time I had at home to help inspire my friends, family and others to participate in giving back to people in need.”

Remember her “#BLTMovement” (Buy Lunch Thursday) where her goal was to buy lunch for a complete stranger as her way of “paying if forward?”

Indeed, Murphy recently took her altruism a step further.

“This injury has finally given me the time to make my dreams come true,” she continued. “On November 8, I was able to sponsor and organize an event with the Food on Foot charity where volunteers and I provided food, clothing and inspiration to people in need.”

She’s being modest; Murphy’s event fed over 200 homeless individuals.

“What I hope people can learn from me is that it is way better to give than to receive,” Murphy added. “All you need to have is a smile, willing heart and spirit to change lives.”

Food on Foot began in March 1996 as one man’s response to the hunger he witnessed among the poor and homeless of Hollywood. What initially began as the distribution of meals from the trunk of a car has grown through the dedication of its volunteers and now serves more than 200 meals each week to homeless, disabled, elderly and low-income adults and children.

For Murphy, her mission is to raise awareness in hopes that others would volunteer their time helping the less fortunate. In fact, she says making a difference is much easier than people think.

“There are so many ways [to give back],” she said. “For example, just by donating your time or doing random acts of kindness such as giving your old clothes away, helping a blind person cross the street, letting an elderly person cut you in line, or even greeting a person with a smile.

“These small and minor things that can really help change a person’s day, week, month, year and even life. And the great thing about these gestures, is that they cost absolutely nothing financially — just thought and effort.”

Shay Murphy's Mission to Make the World Better