T. I. and Killer Mike team up with non-profit to serve 500 meals in their Atlanta community

Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Killer Mike are making a difference in their community amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The MCs partnered with the non-profit PAWkids, a family enrichment center, and with the help of volunteers handed out 500 meals to residents in Atlanta’s Grove Park neighborhood on Wednesday. 

They set up the make-shift operation in the parking lot of their restaurant, Bankhead Seafood, and then doled out bags of food to people walking and driving by.

The generosity didn’t end there. 

After handing out the bags of food, T.I. (born Clifford Harris Jr.) and Killer Mike (born Michael Render) went door-to-door and surprised families with food and hygiene products, and in some cases handed out $500 in cash.

‘Giving back is not something you do just in times of pandemic,’ Mike told GPB News.

‘It is an essential part of the human existence that comes from living on the west side.’

The pair purchased the restaurant in Atlanta’s northwest side after it closed down in 2018.

‘T.I. and and I went in and bought a business and wanted to keep it going. And in the middle of that a pandemic happened,’ Mike explained.

‘So whether money is being made the priority is human beings and people. People need to eat.’

The partnership is part of an effort with Mercedes-Benz to dole out 1,000 meals each week to families in need in the area.

PAWkids founder and director Latonya Johnston, who has also been actively involved in passing out food and essentials, maintains the pandemic has actually helped unify the Grove Park community. 

‘There is so much love here and we’re in this together,’ she said. 

Both rappers have been actively involved in giving back to their community through T.I.’s Harris Community Works and Mike’s work with Next Level Boys Academy, among other Atlanta-area charities, according to AJC.