Banneker Ventures and WKYS 93.9's DJ Gemini and Angie Ange, host of the Angie Ange Morning Show, celebrated the Thanksgiving season by helping nearly 500 families in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area for the the First Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Drive and Giveaway.

Banneker kicked off the daylong giving campaign with a drop-off of 300 hundred turkeys at True Gospel Tabernacle Baptist Church in S.E., Washington, D.C. Hundreds of residents crowded in front of the church as Gemini and Angie hosted a live broadcast encouraging listeners to join the celebration and drop off donated items. The event also brought together dozens of volunteers and community partners, including Center Point Baptist Church, Noah’s Ark, Love By the Handles, and the District of Columbia Baptist Convention.

During the broadcast, Banneker President Omar Karim stressed the importance of community involvement and challenged local businesses to be part of ending food deserts in the D.C. Metropolitan area. Mr. Karim stated, "As a major developer, we take pride in building great infrastructures that are world renowned. What must be included in that conversation is affordable housing, helping to create sustainable communities and alleviating hunger. The greatest institution is family. We are here not to just feed those severely affected by poverty, but to let them know we are extended family and our philosophy of Changing the World starts right in our own backyard." 

As part of the event, a Banneker team made a special delivery to students at Henley Elementary School located in S.E., Washington, D.C. One hundred families that were struggling financially during the holiday season were given turkeys.

According to a 2017 report by the DC Policy Center, 11 percent of District residents live in food deserts -- the overwhelming majority represented in the S.E. community. The report describes a food desert as, "...places where residents have to walk more than 0.5 miles to get to a grocery store or supermarket, over 40 percent of households have no vehicle available, and the median household income is less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level for a family of four."

Since 2011, Banneker Ventures has donated over $600K to help improve neighborhoods and educate young minds to get involved in STEM.

To learn more about Banneker's initiatives, visit www.thebannekerfoundation.org.

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