MIAMI (WSVN) - The Miami Heat took time out from practice to provide a big assist off the court.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony, held Thursday at CARE Elementary School in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, was all part of an NBA Cares initiative that the teams participate in when their city hosts the finals.

They partnered with the Miami Rescue Mission and CARE Elementary, which is a free private school for underprivileged children in Overtown, to dedicate a refurbished kitchen and eating area at the school, named the Miami Heat Food Court

They have also created an emergency food relief fund that will provide ongoing support for students and their families.

“It’s always on our mind. With the Heat, we always try to give back in any way possible, so they do a good job of stressing all the things that are going wrong in the community and ways we could help,” said Miami Heat guard Max Strus, “so always want to have that in mind and just give back whenever we can.”

The players also packed up meals with students to take to the Miami Rescue Mission.

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