BATON ROUGE — Former Harlem Globetrotter James "Big Brown" Joseph left Baton Rouge on Thursday to bring air conditioners to the elderly and other vulnerable people in north Louisiana.

Joseph has been providing air conditioners to people across the state for 15 years through his Big Brown Reaching Out program, and this summer he is checking off the last three cities on his list: Ruston, Grambling and Jonesboro.

"Imagine being in a house without air conditioning, summer heat of Louisiana, 90 to 100 degrees," Joseph said at Gerry Lane Chevrolet where he loaded his truck with AC units. "Bring an AC to an elderly family who can't afford an AC because they're on a fixed income and putting an AC inside their windows, and then leaving it, knowing you've relieved some of the heat from our elderly families."

Brown, a UPS employee, has led multiple drives helping the less fortunate over the last few decades. In 2021, Brown helped provide the state with masks and protective gear during the pandemic.

In 2017, he was the recipient of the Jim Casey Community Service Award, which is the highest honor bestowed upon a UPS employee.