Feed Your City Challenge – entertainment’s most massive response to the COVID-19 crisis, founded by music industry legend Tony Draper and retired NBA star Ricky Davis – will make the tenth stop on its nationwide campaign to fight the effects of COVID-19 as its positive case numbers increase around the globe. Hip-Hop pioneer, philanthropist, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, multi-platinum Grammy award-winning producer, and current music tech mogul Dr. Dre will lend his support to help feed the community of Compton, California. Working alongside Compton Mayor Aja Brown, video director Gabriel Hart, and media partners Power 106 and 93.5 Kday, FYCC organizers and volunteers will pass out free groceries provided by Dr. Dre. Community members will receive fresh produce, meat, including holiday turkeys, and essential PPE supplies, while supplies last. Access will be granted via a one-lane contactless drive-thru with a separate line for walk-ups following all social distancing guidelines.
Understanding the catastrophic effects the virus has had throughout Southern California and the rest of the country, Compton native and music icon Dr. Dre was eager to join the movement. Compton’s Mayor, Aja Brown, will use Saturday’s event to continue her pledge to empower Compton and build up equity in the community.
“Unity is within us all. By us working together we can serve the underserved,” explained Dre of why he felt doing this event with Mayor Brown right before the Thanksgiving holiday was so important. “Thanksgiving is a special time to bring people together; people shouldn’t have to worry about how they’re going to feed their family for the holidays, so we accepted the challenge from Tony Draper and his team to generate that unity for Compton during these difficult times.”
As more than 10 million Americans have tested positive for COVID-19, its effects have had disproportionate health and economic consequences on communities of color. This staggering statistic is one of the many elements that propelled FYCC into action to combat this deadly disease. They have steadily grown outreach and donations after every relief effort. Each of the nine cities during the campaign has received thousands of pounds of high quality produce, fresh meat and PPE supplies. Residents in each city are lined up hours before the start of the event to collect their free items from FYCC volunteers and celebrity host(s).
With a simple mission statement, ‘to serve underserved communities,’ ‘Feed Your City Challenge’ continues feeding those in need while challenging more cities to join. Previous events around the country included Norfolk, VA with recording artist Pusha T; Petersburg VA with recording artist Trey Songz; Brooklyn, NY with music executive Steven Victor in honor of Pop-Smoke; Oakland, CA with Grammy award-winning (and Oscar-nominated), producer/singer/songwriter Raphael Saadiq; Los Angeles, CA with Grammy award-winning multi-platinum producer Mustard, singer Jhene Aiko and Grammy award-winning artist Roddy Ricch; Miami, FL with Grammy-nominated rapper/songwriter, entrepreneur, and record executive, Rick Ross; Port Arthur, TX with retired NBA player and ESPN host Stephen Jackson; Atlanta, GA with Def Jam recording artist 2 Chainz; and Chicago, IL with actor, television host, comedian Nick Cannon.
