Tyler Perry Donates Meals To 5,000 Atlanta Families In Need
Tyler Perry is known for his incredible generosity and this huge donation is no exception
Perennial Hollywood do-gooder Tyler Perry is in the news often for his incredible acts of generosity and this Thanksgiving season, the Madea franchise creator is staying true to form. Perry recently donated thousands of meals to Atlanta families in need, all funded by him personally.
On Sunday, November 22nd, Perry opened up his Atlanta studio for four hours to feed 5,000 families in the Atlanta area. The event was called TPSGiving and included not only food boxes for every family, but gift cards for local supermarket chain Kroger.
“Tyler was heartbroken seeing people all over the country stand in line for food so he decided he wanted to give back to his community in Atlanta,” a Perry source tells PEOPLE. “Hopefully this encourages others who are able to, to give back during the holiday season in a year that has been difficult for many.”
The COVID-safe event was drive-through only with masks required for those coming to pick up the food and gift cards. Tyler Perry Studios employees volunteered to staff the event and all were COVID-tested in advance. According to PEOPLE, cars started lining up 12 hours before the start of the event to make sure they were one of the 5,000 families on the receiving end of Perry’s generous gift.
Back in July, Perry donated 1,000 Kroger gift cards to Atlanta residents with the city’s police department helping hand them out to families, door to door. The actor also donated a van to an Atlanta women’s shelter that helps people experiencing homelessness to access hygiene products.
Perry also paid for private transport for the family of George Floyd to attend his funeral services and paid for the funerals of Rayshard Brooks and Secoria Turner. Perry’s do-gooding didn’t just start this year, however. In 2018, he made headlines for paying off over $430,000 in Walmart layaways a few weeks before Christmas. “I know it’s a hard time, a lot of people are struggling and I’m just really, really grateful to be able to be in a position to do this,” he said. “…God Bless, go get your stuff, Merry Christmas.”
While 99.9% of us don’t have the money and resources to give as often and as much as Perry, his acts of kind generosity are still wonderful to see and motivating to those who do have a little room in the budget to help out someone in need. As COVID-19 continues to ravage the economy and unemployment benefits for millions are mere weeks away from drying up, it’s more important than ever that those in a position to help do so. As long as we don’t have a federal government recognizing the monumental need so many Americans are currently facing, it’s on us to do what we can to help our communities. Tyler Perry is the perfect inspiration for those acts.
