Meek Mill, John DeBella, Franky Bradley’s and Philly’s season of giving.
Say what you want about the flashing red alerts on your Citizen app beeping incessantly, but during a holiday season such as this, Philly is probably doing more good than harm and more cheer, charity and giving than mischief and mayhem.
Starting with the Thanksgiving holiday, and WMGK-FM radio personality John DeBella’s free turkey drive for those in need, the winter holidays in this city are filled with a spirit of selflessness and giving. I, for one, appreciate that, as sometimes, cynicism is tiring.
As always, Philadelphia rapper, producer and activist Meek Mill hosted his Christmas holiday gift giveaway in South Philadelphia, helping families in need, with a focus on children. Families got gift cards, which was cool, but they also got useful tools such as MacBook Air laptops (wow, I could use one of those), bikes, video games, and winter coats.
Meek Mill also hooked up the Philly chapter of Twelve Days of Christmas with $30,000 so to offer local families in need with necessary goods to get through the winter and provide for the Christmas season. Mayor Jim Kenney and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw stopped by Meek’s South Philly event, and even that couldn’t spoil the feeling of good in the air.
An interesting Christmas charity worth investing time and money into is the Philadelphia chapter of the Union of Musicians & Allied Workers (UMAW) and their current musical instrument drive, one dedicated to collecting and donating gear for Pennsylvania state correctional institutions to support music education programs. UMAW is partnering with Beyond the Bars, and you can actually drop off your unused instruments, microphones – even wires, cables, and laptops – to Beyond the Bars’ offices at 3500 Lancaster Avenue on December 21 (you have until January 10 to give them that old electric guitar you know you’re not using). Or email them: UMAWphilly@gmail.com
Franky Bradley’s on Thursday, December 23 will also make their charitable musical contribution to the Christmas season in a cabaret way with a drag/burlesque bash, “Naughty or Nice,” hosted by Maria Topcatt and Flirt Vonnegut, and including drag singers such as Eric Jaffe, Icon Ebony Fierce, Miss V, Sapphira Cristal, HoneyTree EvilEye, Vera Valentinaa, and more. All proceeds from the “Naughty or Nice” party will be donated to the Attic Youth Center, supporting Philly’s LGBTQ youth.
Top image courtesy of TMZ.
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