Tyler Perry thanksgiving food drive draws thousands

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Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE(ATLANTA) — Tyler Perry put the “giving” in Thanksgiving on Sunday, feeding thousands of needy families ahead of the holiday.

The star of the Madea franchise opened up his Tyler Perry studios in Atlanta for the food giveaway, dubbed TPSGiving, which promised nonperishables and gift cards to the first 5,000 families to pull up to the complex, according to TMZ.

Cars reportedly started lining up on Saturday afternoon for the food drive that ran from 8 a.m. until noon, according to the gossip website.

Drone footage obtained by TMZ shows traffic backed up all the way out to the surrounding freeway… And then some.

Tyler’s staff adhered to strict COVID-19 guidelines, restricting distribution to curbside pickup and requiring everyone who wanted to receive a care package to wear masks. Pictures on the ground also show studio employees covered in PPE from head to toe.

Tyler has been helping struggling families throughout the pandemic, including giving out $20,000-plus tips to local restaurant staff and picking up tabs for grocery shoppers in New Orleans and Atlanta.

By George Costantino
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