Growing up living below the poverty line means you don’t always have access to food and new clothing.
Sergio Giovanni Kitchens, also known as Gunna, understands that feeling all too well. Gunna is now a Grammy-nominated rap star, but not long ago, he was a student experiencing poverty firsthand.
Gunna grew up in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. As a student at Ronald McNair Middle School in College Park, he dreamed of being successful enough that one day he could make a difference for other kids who were in his shoes. Now, by teaming up with local nonprofit Goodr, he is doing just that!
Goodr is a social media startup founded by CEO Jasmine Crowe. The organization provides surplus food and other supplies to low-income and vulnerable populations, where it’s needed most. Their business model helps people in need get food and clothing, while also giving businesses that donate tax benefits and wasting less food.
The successful rapper has worked with Goodr since 2018, but the opening of “Gunna’s Drip Closet and Goodr Grocery Store” at his old middle school is the first of its kind!
Gunna’s store is stocked with food, clothing, shoes, toiletries, and other necessities. About 900 families and students can take whatever they need, all free of charge, with no questions asked. They even provide vegetarian and pescatarian options. The shelves will be restocked every week, which will go a long way toward ending food insecurity for these kids!
The rap star says he’s just following through on his longtime plan to give back to the community that nurtured him in his youth. He hopes the students will see his success and model themselves after people like him instead of turning to crime.
“I want them to learn that you can be anyone you want to be, you can be anything you want to be because look at me. I did what I wanted to do and I went to the same school that they went to,” he told The Atlanta Voice.
Thanks to his continued good deeds around the city, the mayor of South Fulton, Bill Edwards, proclaimed September 16 to be “Gunna Day.”
“Many of our athletes and musicians leave and they do not come back, and you came back to give,” Bill told Gunna.
As for what’s next, Gunna hopes to find donors to start more projects across the country. He will also continue the giveaways he’s been doing on social media.
“I do the Gunna Greatest Giveaway every year,” he explained. “I am going on my fourth annual year. I plan to do this for the rest of my life.”
Hooray for people who never forget where they came from! Gunna is such a wonderful role model for these deserving kids. We hope his idea takes off across the nation.
Share this story to thank Gunna for giving back.
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