by Ida Harris
November 27, 2024
The event was hosted by Jackson Memorial Baptist Church
Ahead of the holiday, T.I, Atlanta’s own Hip-Hop royalty, kicked off the 19th annual Harris Community Works Turkey Drive in Atlanta Nov. 26. The yearly event was hosted by Jackson Memorial Baptist Church on 534 Fairburn Rd NW in Adamsville and powered by Tip’s HCW organization along with a number of sponsors, including the Atlanta Hawks, Humana, Maximum Impact, Kaiser Permanente and Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority to name a few.
Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta city councilmember Andrea L. Boone and Atlanta notables Young Dro and DC Young Fly showed up for the Westside community and rolled up their sleeves to volunteer alongside T.I, Tameka “Tiny” Harris and family, to help bag groceries and load cars with turkeys, bushels of collard greens, sweet potatoes and other Thanksgiving Day staples.
BLACK ENTERPRISE caught up with Young Dro who recalled a time in his life when food was a scarcity. The “Shoulder Lean” artist spoke about his contribution and how the turkey drive impacts the residents of the community.
“I’ve been here since the beginning,” Dro told BE. “When [T.I] decided to do it, it was just … heartfelt to me.”
“I remember going to school … not having no food and you know, having to get up in the morning and put my education secondary just for food.”
Dro expressed being proud of the event’s evolution over the years and that his volunteer efforts are a must along with others who support the Harris Community Works initiative.
“The partnership is everything,” the Westside Atlanta native affirmed. “If everybody does something, one person don’t have to do a lot.”
“It wouldn’t be possible if it were for Tip,”Dro said. “He has to be partnered with Impact and Kaiser Permanente, Fulton County Police Department, AndreaBoone, my cousin Gregory Sutton,”
“When all of us come together, that’s how we can provide for the community because one person just can’t save the whole world; everybody gotta chip in.”
Atlanta Mayor Dickens’ commitment and sentiment for the annual food drive matched Young Dro’s.
“I had to show up once again,” the Fulton County mayor told BE. “Every year, I come out to this great food distribution by T.I and the Harris family, Tip, Tiny, and all of our sponsors, me, the city of Atlanta, councilwoman Andrea Boone, Humana,
“We are out here spreading love.” Dickens said. “It’s hundreds, I mean, hundreds of cars of people that are hungry that need to get fed for Thanksgiving and we out here spreading holiday cheer by giving food away.”
Mayor Dickens plans to spend his holiday “spreading love,” being “thankful” and in the spirit of “gratitude” and among family and close friends.
Harris Community Works is a subsidiary of Us Or Else Corp (501c3), a nonprofit, social justice charity founded by Tip “T.I” Harris. The community organization has provided meals for the Thanksgiving holiday for almost two decades. HCW also comes through for the community during the Christmas holiday with a Caravan over the last eight years. T.I traverses the city donating clothing and toys to individuals through community-based programs.
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