Councilman Bond, King III Distribute Free Turkeys Today

Atlanta City Councilmember Michael Julian Bond will join The King Center President and CEO Martin Luther King III to distribute 100 turkeys to families in the Vine City-English Avenue neighborhood at 3 p.m. today, according to a news release from Atlanta City Council spokesman Dexter Chambers.

The distribution, which will take place in the neighborhood where Dr. and Mrs. King lived and raised their children, will follow a press conference in the parking lot of the old Publix location at 825 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.

“At a time when we gather across our city to celebrate family and friendship and give thanks for our many blessings, it is also our duty to reach out to those in our community facing hardship this holiday season,” Bond said. “By partnering with The King Center to distribute these turkeys, I hope to make Thanksgiving Day brighter for some of Atlanta’s most disadvantaged residents.”

Bond and King’s distribution is part of a 1000 turkey giveaway organized by The King Center to coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday.

In announcing the project, King said, “The night before he was assassinated, my father said, ‘It’s alright to talk about ‘streets flowing with milk and honey,’ but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can’t eat three meals a day.’  To help meet this challenge, and because of the increased number of families experiencing dire economic hardship on this Thanksgiving holiday, The King Center will distribute a thousand turkeys from trucks to a group of Atlanta’s leading anti-poverty organizations, which will be feeding needy Atlanta residents on Thursday. We hope Atlantans will join in reaching out to serve the hungry and homeless and all of those in need in our city.”

The community-based organizations which are partnering with the King Center for the project include: the Atlanta Community Food Bank; The Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children; Blankets of Love Outreach; Genesis Shelter; Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless; James Brown Foundation; My Sister's House; Project Open Hand; Vine City Community; and Women's Resource Center.

For more information, please call Steve Klein of The King Center at (404) 526-8944.