Source: Freddy O / Radio One Digital
ATLANTA – Entertainers, businessmen and activists, Tip “T.I.” Harris and Michael Render, pka Killer Mike, today partnered with PAWkids, a community enrichment organization, and served meals to 500 Atlanta residents. The meals consisted of chicken fried rice, fruit and dessert and were sponsored by Mercedes Benz, which distributes more than 1,000 meals weekly to PAWkids, who then serves the food to families in Atlanta’s Grovepark community.
“In any crisis, Black people confront dual challenges. We deal with the challenge of racism, and we deal with the crisis itself. COVID-19 is no exception. What we saw today was an overwhelming sense of need, but also a sense of hope. We are investing in that hope and belief that tomorrow can be better than today,” Harris said.
After serving meals, the Grammy Award winners went to the homes of unsuspecting families and delivered $500 in cash, food for two weeks and personal hygiene products. The families whose homes the entertainers visited were identified by PAWkids’ founder and executive director, Latonya Gates.
“The collaboration with PAWkids is an indication of the relationship Bankhead Seafood hopes to maintain with the local community where both me and Tip grew up,” Render said. “We know there are a lot of people suffering from food insecurity, and giving back is not only our responsibility but our pleasure. An added honor is supporting PAWkids, whom we like to call earth angels.”
Bankhead Seafood’s owners (Harris, Render and Noel Khalil) have grown especially fond of PAWkids, who offer social and emotional supports to children and families. PAWkids’ office sits on property owned by Bankhead Seafood, which allowed the organization to host the food giveaway on Bankhead Seafood’s parking lot.
Source: Freddy O / Radio One Digital
“I see a lot of Black organizations struggling for a lack of resources,” said Gates. “COVID-19 has given us an opportunity to serve our people. We are doing this through the support of large companies who have given up power and are allowing community-based organizations such as PAWkids to serve our people. This has allowed me to maintain employment during this crisis and decrease food insecurity.”
