Seth Curry assists Mavs with Winter Warm-Up Drive

One by one Wednesday afternoon at Raising Cane’s in the Greenville/Lover’s Lane area of North Dallas, fans lined up and approached Seth Curry for an autographed picture and a few precious moments of his time. The Mavericks’ guard promptly obliged, knowing that this was an ideal time for him to give back to a community that has given him so much.

Curry was at the popular fast-food restaurant as the Mavs and Raising Cane’s hosted a Winter Warm-Up Drive where fans were encouraged to donate new and/or gently used coats, blankets and other winter items for families in need. The warm items will benefit the Austin Street Center, which is a local non-profit that provides safe shelter and basic needs for the city’s most vulnerable.

As soon as a Mavs’ employee asked Curry to get to involved with this event, he quickly jumped at the opportunity.

“We only get a certain amount of time throughout the season that you have days off and the chance to come out and get into the community and do some good stuff for the community and collect some items,” Curry said. “It’s kind of a win-win for everybody.

“The fans have brought so much to us and me personally here throughout my career and throughout the season that any time you come out here and give back and use your platform to do whatever it is you can do, you give as much as you possibly can. And I’m trying to just have some fun while we do that today.”

For Curry, part of Wednesday’s fun included him greeting fans and giving them their food and drinks at the drive-through window. He also waited on customers inside the restaurant, in addition to working the all-important cash register.

“(Working the cash register) was tough,” Curry said. “It’s harder than it looks, but it was fun to do.

“It’s kind of fast paced. You’ve got to take orders. You can’t mess them up.”

Nick Titus, the area leader of Raising Cane’s, said he was extra excited to partner with the Mavs and Curry on this generous endeavor.

“The Winter Warm-Up coat drive is great,” Titus said. “Having Seth Curry here is a fantastic way to highlight that, and to partner with the Mavs, who we’ve been with for several years, so we just look forward to it.

“We’ve been partnering with those in the community who bring a coat to Raising Cane’s. They get a free lemonade card for every item donated. So, at every DFW location you can find a box up at the front that you can donate gently used gear.”

Titus said approximately 200 customers visited the Raising Cane’s in the hour while Curry was there. One of those customers was Bruce White Jr., a local artist who moved from Memphis to Dallas about four months ago.

White brought with him a portrait of Curry that he said he painted on Wednesday morning in two-and-a-half hours, and gave to the Mavs’ 11-year veteran.

“My buddy told me about (Curry being at the Winter Warm-Up Drive), and we came up here and we rushed in traffic to try and meet him just to give it to him since he’s giving something back to the community,” White said. “He’s signing autographs, talking to kids and inspiring kids, so I just wanted to give back to him.

“I went to Home Depot and grabbed a piece of wood and I just started drawing (the portrait of Curry). I picked a picture (of Curry) on Google, painted it and here I am now.”

When he was told about White, Curry said: “That was dope for a real artist to give me that gift and take some time and put some work into it. I really appreciate that. It’s going to go somewhere in my house.”

Curry posed for a picture with White with the portrait.

“That’s talent, man,” Curry said. “That’s a lot of skill. I really appreciate the gift. I told him that. It looks good.”

Meanwhile, Mateo Means, the coordinator of social responsibility and Mavs Foundation, applauded Curry and the fans who showed up to contribute to the Winter Warm-Up Drive.

“It was a great time out here promoting our big coat drive,” Means said. “You can donate a gently used coat or any winter clothes, and then you can bring them to a Raising Cane’s location and we’re going to deliver them next month to Austin Street Center as part of our effort to help homeless people.”

The Winter Warm-Up Drive lasts until Jan. 22.

Curry was certainly up for the task in helping this event be a smashing success.

“It’s not something you get to do on a regular basis,” he said. “First of all, it’s always fun to get out and see fans who support us all year long and have so much energy and love the team so much.

“I got to sign some good stuff, I got a couple of gifts while I’m here, too, and I got behind the register and worked the drive-through.”

So, how well did Curry perform his Raising Cane’s duties?

“I think he did great,” Titus said. “It’s always a little bit of a shock at first. I know whenever I did my first drive-through it was (a little bit of a shock), so he did a great job. I saw a lot of smiles and happy customers out there today.

“If he wants to come back, we’ll bring him back, that’s for sure. We love that.”

X: @DwainPrice