A quiet street tucked in the center of Central State Campus at 132 Shop Rd. came to life on Nov. 19 as families gathered to receive free Thanksgiving turkeys, organized and funded by the CEO of Atlas Universal Inc., Dr. Ken Singh.
Singh worked with Daniel Legat, who coordinated distributing the 500 Kroger turkeys donated that Wednesday evening. Dr. Suresh Sugrim, representing Humanitarian Mission HMGI, traveled to Milledgeville from Florida to help Singh serve the community throughout the turkey drive. Mayor Mary Parham-Copelan was also in attendance, bringing turkeys to cars and speaking with the community.
“Some of our community members’ mindsets are, can I even put a meal on the table? When you have volunteers and community sponsorship like this come in, it means so much to the community just to know there’s somebody out there who cares for them,” Parham-Copelan said.
In an initiative to connect face to face with the community, Singh spoke to the sales director at Fickling & Company, Patty Burns, about which local organizations might be able to help him plan a large charity event. A planning meeting was hosted courtesy of Sam Gunn at the La Quinta Hotel, where Amy Raburn, community engagement pastor at North Christian Church, suggested a turkey drive.
“Our church is giving out 260 turkeys tomorrow; and he (Singh) wanted to make sure that everybody in the community was served and that we weren’t just giving them out at one place,” said Raburn. “There are GMC cadets, employees from DFACS, some Brighter Days volunteers, and some church volunteers all out here. It’s been cool just for the community to come together.”
Dr. Singh, of Canada, has recently become part of Milledgeville through his redevelopment project at 132 Shop Rd. The location of the turkey drive is home to Singh’s 54-unit apartment complex, providing more housing options for residents and helping to aid Milledgeville’s housing crisis.
“This redevelopment will have a major impact, simply because we are short on housing. We do have some homelessness here. It is crucial people have somewhere to go, to call home; shelter,” said Parham- Copelan.
Shirley Jackson, a Milledgeville mother, attended the turkey drive.
“You can kinda feel lonely during the holidays, but this will help us not feel so bad when sitting down to eat. I’m looking forward to coming together with my family at my cousin’s house,” Jackson said, while expressing her thanks toward the turkey drive’s initiative.
Linc Boyer and the Milledgeville Police Department assisted in directing traffic, ensuring families safely and efficiently received their turkeys. Cars trickled in consistently, with those inside waving, expressing thanks and smiling.
“Thanksgiving is rooted in the spirit of sharing, of gratitude, and of community coming together,” Singh said. “We are now a part of this community, as we are developing this apartment complex. So, as we continue to do that, we want to share with all the people who are working with us here in the community, and to continue to celebrate with them.”