Prince Jackson, 23, showed his support and care for the Los Angeles community on Nov. 21 when he spent part of his Saturday volunteering at a local church to hand out turkeys, pies, and other holiday essentials less than a week before Thanksgiving. The eldest son of the late Michael Jackson didn’t appear to want to draw attention to himself during the activity as he wore a bright green neon vest over a casual outfit that included a white graphic T-shirt, baggy jeans, and black sneakers. He also had on a black face mask that had “LMU” displayed on it in white text, which represents his alma mater Loyola Marymount University, and kept his long light brown locks ties back into a low ponytail.
Prince made sure to wear plastic gloves throughout the time he was handing out the holiday food to visitors and appeared relaxed as he interacted with them. The items were packed in bright green neon tote bags and he helped place them in the trunks or backseats of cars that came by a drive through line. He also shared some clips and pics of his experience on his Instagram Story.
In one of his story posts, he revealed that he was volunteering with the Heal Los Angeles Foundation, a non-profit charity he’s worked with since college, after tagging them in a caption along with the words, “Annual turkey giveaway in full swing.” He’s also partnering with the foundation to raise money to feed those in need in L.A. by offering contests where people can win various prize by either registering and/or donating. Some of the prizes include a video chat with him and Michael Jackson memorabilia that will be signed by him and his siblings, Paris Jackson, 22, and Blanket Jackson, 18.
Prince’s philanthropic work is reminiscent of his dad’s. The “King of Pop”, who died in 2009, was known for being a part of and donating to numerous charitable organizations, including the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and his own Heal the World Foundation, so it’s great to see his son following in his footsteps.
In a rare interview in Sept., Prince opened up about what it’s like to be known as Michael’s son everywhere he goes and revealed that he’s proud to share not only his name in his own, (his full name is Prince Michael Joseph Jackson Jr.), but the legacy he’s left behind. “Not many people know that is my name, and I am proud to share the same name as my father,” Prince told The Mirror. “And, sharing such a powerful name…there is – I don’t want to say there’s a pressure or a weight, because that’s a negative connotation. But, there is this legacy that my father worked very hard to build and maintain.”
“The older I get, the more I get to unpackage the wisdom that he left, and all the experiences he imparted on us,” he continued, referring to himself and his siblings. “When I see them through a more mature perspective, I am extremely grateful to have had the experiences with him that I had.”
“He wanted us to be the best at whatever it is that we did,” he added. “It was a form of motivation and inspiration, that no matter what you do or how confident you feel, or how well you did something, my father would always say, ‘That’s great, but what’s next? How can we make it bigger or better?’ Or ‘What are you doing to learn from this experience and apply to improve the next one?’”