2018 Turkey Challenge begins

For the past eight years, GrassROOTS has been providing necessary resources for Newark, the West Ward neighborhood and the over 1,000 families living at Georgia King Village, a housing development in Newark, and home to a significant number of single, black mothers and their children. Almost 30 percent of Newark’s residents live below the US poverty threshold and 1 in 5 residents of Essex County are food insecure. In previous years we have partnered with the City of Newark and the Believe in Newark Foundation to expand our giving and provide for 6000 Newark families in need.

This year, GrassROOTS will expand our giving with two #GiveThanks Turkey Giveaway: one in Harlem and the other in Atlanta.

Board member Mona Scott-Young will lead the charge to support her second home, the City of Atlanta. She, GrassROOTS and our community partners will be serving families and elders in need in Southwest Atlanta at the QLS Gardens and Haven. Residents of this community are apart of HUD’s Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program or Section 8 housing. This area has been challenged by poverty and violence. In the past six months this area has experienced multiple incidents of aggravated assaults, and auto thefts.

With the support of Harlem native, Yandy Smith-Harris, GrassROOTS will be providing turkey meals for students and families in Harlem at Opportunity Charter School (OCS). OCS educates children who struggle in traditional learning environments, including students with disabilities, with the tools needed to excel academically, emotionally and socially in all aspects of life. OCS comprises of over 400 students, all of whom are racial minorities. Sixty-three percent of students are students with disabilities, and over 87 percent of students qualify for free and reduced breakfast and lunch.

To date, GrassROOTS has gifted the community 7000 turkeys and 500 pounds of fruit and vegetables.

Turkeys

Pounds of Fruit

Our goal is to provide healthy meals for families in need. Our celebrity supporters, board members and staff compete head to head to sell as many turkeys as we can. $25 provides a family with a holiday meal consisting of a 20lb turkey and 5lbs of organic fruits and vegetables. Multiply that $25 by any number and multiply the number of families you feed.

It’s that simple!

$25 = a healthy holiday meal for (1) family.

As we engage in a friendly battle via social media, our turkey tallies will be displayed on the website where we can track progress. Ask your friends, family and social networks to donate. It’s all in fun and as we compete against each other, we are working together to provide healthy meals to as many families as we can. Some of us will lose the challenge, but in the end the community wins!

In addition to turkeys, GrassROOTS provides a catered, seated 4-course dinner to elderly adults of Georgia King Village. Our SuperGirls working as servers and Super Families volunteer to support. This year we are also working with Yandy Smith-Harris to provide for families in Harlem.

Our celebrity partners, community investors, board members and team members lend their support each year by participating in the Turkey Challenge and raising funds for our community members. The goal is to get as many donations as they can.

Celebrity competitors are: Mona Scott-Young, CEO of Monami Entertainment (#TeamMona), and Yandy Smith-Harris, Entrepreneur (#TeamYandy).

**Mona Scott-Young has won each year of this contest.

Community Investors are: Rakia Reynolds, CEO of Skai Blue Media (#TeamRakia) and Tai Beauchamp, TV personality (#TeamTai).

**Both are new competitors.

Board members: Janice Johnson Dias, President of GrassROOTS Community Foundation (#TeamJanice) and Lisa Maxwell, Vice President of Global Product Marketing, MasterCard (#TeamLisa)

**#TeamLisa beat #TeamJanice in 2017.