DeKalb County will be handing out free turkeys, hams and other Thanksgiving classics to those in need over the weekend.
Beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, the county government will distribute free food baskets across four drive-thru locations. The county will run three of the locations as part of a COVID-19 relief program, while the fourth will be hosted by DeKalb Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson.
The county’s locations will offer 20-pound boxes of fruit and vegetables along with either a turkey or a ham to 2,500 residents, according to a news release. It will be first-come, first-served.
Johnson’s drive-thru location will feature “Thanksgiving Dinner Baskets” for the first 300 residents. She tweeted photos of shopping carts full of macaroni and cheese, boxed stuffing and canned green beans that will be handed out during the giveaway at the Lou Walker Senior Center, located at 2538 Panola Road in Stonecrest.
Both giveaways are a continuation of the county’s efforts to battle food insecurity amid the pandemic, albeit with a holiday twist. DeKalb said it has provided free fruit, vegetables and protein to more than 20,000 families since May. The giveaways were funded using federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds.
The county’s Thanksgiving food giveaway will take place at these three locations:
• Buck Godrey Stadium, 2817 Clifton Springs Road in Decatur
• James R. Hallford Stadium, 3789 Memorial College Avenue in Clarkston
• New Birth Missionary Baptist Church at 6400 Woodrow Road in Stonecrest
The county partnered with La Vision newspaper, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Saint Philip AME Church and The Faith Center for the event. More information on DeKalb’s coronavirus response and efforts are available at www.dekalbcountyga.gov/coronavirus.
