More than 1,000 Lansing families received free shoes and food Saturday, Aug. 15, at St. Joseph Park, where organizer Larry Johnson and more than 15 religious leaders turned a back-to-school giveaway into a call for peace after a summer of deadly gun violence in Lansing, including a fatal shooting near the park.

Johnson, who leads the Lansing nonprofit Brotherhood Against Drugs, said the 2026 edition of the fifth annual community fun day carried a sharper message. A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed near the park on June 29, and the Ingham County prosecutor later described deadly June shootings of two teenagers in Lansing as "gang or retaliatory" violence.

"I grew up in this park. A lot of people grew up in this park. We played football here, basketball," Johnson said at the event, according to WILX. "And so we know that those two things that happened here is not usual things that happen. And so we wanted to bring the pastors in. Let's pray over our park, get our park back."

Before the giveaway began, more than 15 faith leaders gathered at the park for a prayer service. David Foreman, overseer of Reach Out Christian Church, was among them. Foreman founded the church in 1986 and has lived in Lansing since 1968.

"When I came to this city, we didn't have this violence," Foreman said. "And so my thing is, I know we can get back to that."

Johnson said the event's goal was to reassure neighbors that St. Joseph Park remains a safe place to gather. After the prayer service, volunteers distributed shoes and food to the families who lined up.

The community fun day, formally known as the Dr. Joan Jackson Johnson Backpack Giveaway & Community Fun Day, is in its fifth year. It honors Johnson, known as "Triple J," for her decades of service as Lansing's director of human relations and community services; she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2024.

Larry Johnson, the older brother of NBA Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson, founded Brotherhood Against Drugs after his own recovery from addiction. The faith-based nonprofit, focused on addiction recovery and anti-bullying programs, organizes the event each year at St. Joseph Park. Residents can find more information about the organization at brotherhoodagainstdrugs.com.