FREE VOLUME 24 NUMBER 39
NOVEMBER 17, 2018 Stay connected
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Good Samaritans provide free turkeys, meals for those in need
L
ocal organizations are warming hearts and filling bellies this Thanksgiving through several initiatives. DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson and The Women in NAACP, DeKalb County branch are hosting their annual “Day of Service” turkey giveaway on Saturday, Nov. 17, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot at the Gallery of South DeKalb mall, 2801 Candler Road, Decatur. Hundreds of turkeys will be distributed on a first-come, first served basis (one per household). Johnson said helping make the holiday special is something he looks
forward to doing every year. “This is another opportunity for us to bless families who are dealing with tough times,” said Johnson. Voices of Faith Ministries, under the leadership of Bishop Gary Hawkins, Sr., is providing care boxes and holiday meals to pre-selected families in need from schools in Stone Mountain and Conyers as well as extended stay motels and shelters. The church is not only delivering Thanksgiving Day boxes to needy families, but also providing schoolchildren with simple meal kits and snacks they can prepare while they are home during the holiday week.
Additionally, Just About Blessing You (JABY), Inc., Admiration Lodge 25 and Destination Manhood Collective are providing holiday turkeys to selected needy seniors and families who are members of Voices of Faith. The organizations plan to distribute the turkeys at each of the church's three worship services on Sunday, Nov. 18. “We have been blessed to be a part of the DeKalb Business Community for over 10 years and we just believe it’s our responsibility to give back, said Ceasar Gaiters, who is a member of Admiration Lodge 25. In Rockdale County, Board of Commissioners Chairman Oz Nesbitt
will distribute turkeys to seniors in need on Sunday, Nov. 18, 3 p.m., at the Olivia Haydel Senior Center, 1240 Dogwood Drive in Conyers. For those looking for a hot meal, Kingdom Builders Church, 1151 Flat Shoals Rd., Conyers will host its “Feed the Community” free Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hosea Helps (formerly Hosea Feed the Hungry & Homeless) will serve Thanksgiving Dinner to the masses on Thursday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd., Atlanta.
Photos by DeKalb County School District
Miller Grove High wins 2nd Annual DCSD Wingfest
Flat or drum? Dry or wet rub? Hot, medium or mild? Sweet or sour? Traditional or creative? These are just a handful of questions culinary students from DeKalb County School District (DCSD) answered on Friday, November 2 as part of the district’s second annual DCSD Wingfest, sponsored by the Career Technical & Agricultural Education (CTAE) department. For the entire month of October, culinary students at 10 high schools— Warren Tech, Miller Grove, Clarkston, Columbia, Tucker, McNair, Arabia Mountain, Lakeside, Redan and Towers—have fired up grills, mixed spices, and worked as creative units to concoct the perfect chicken wing.
On November 2, teams from the schools came together at the Robert R. Freeman Administrative & Instructional Complex to test their results. DCSD staff tried one wing from each school before voting for their top three. According to Dr. Delmas Watkins, CTAE director for DCSD, Wingfest is an opportunity for students to not just test their cooking skills, but also skills involving customer service, management, crisis management, presentation, customer satisfaction. “What Wingfest does is allow students to showcase what they’ve been learning over the past few weeks. They’ve been practicing developing different flavors, they’ve been testing them at their schools. The flavors that
passed that test have made it here today,” Watkins said. “This gives our students a chance to have some realworld experience—to interact with customers, to deal with weather. As a school district, we want to prepare our students for everything there is to know about the restaurant business. They’re excited, and we’re proud of what they’re doing.” Some preferred Clarkston High’s creative approach with the “Fire & Ice” chicken wing, which paired a heavily spiced wing with a scoop of sorbet. Others preferred Arabia Mountain and Tucker’s traditional approach to wings, which gifted eaters’ taste buds with unique-but-familiar sauces. While considerably bold, Clarkston claimed last year’s trophy through
sheer creativity and the perfect pairing of flavors. In the end, Miller Grove High claimed the gold medal, with Columbia placing second and Arabia Mountain placing third. For Watkins, the event is a unique opportunity for everyone at the DCSD central office to celebrate student talent and indulge. “I didn’t eat breakfast this morning,” Watkins said the day of the event. “Today, my job is to taste every wing. I know the Superintendent has the highest job in the district, but I have the best job in the district. We’re very proud of what our teachers are doing and they’re proud of the student’s work, but we’re all proud our students are learning on a daily basis.”