Keith Lee is intentionally bringing his food tour to Gary, IN, a city in dire need of support
Indiana Power Outage
Tens of thousands of customers in Gary have been without power for more than a week, the Associated Press reports. The outages followed several deadly storms that damaged power lines and left trees down in Gary and across the region, the outlet notes. While Northern Indiana Public Service Co. has been working to restore power, 75,000 customers remained without power as of Aug. 19, including more than 20,000 in Gary. Power is not expected to be fully restored until Aug. 25
Initially, 300,000 customers were without power
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“These aren’t simple repairs,” Melody Birmingham, an executive at NIPSCO’s parent company, said at a news conference “These are systems that are being rebuilt.”
While concerns loom, Gary residents are seeking immediate support. With generators costing nearly $75 per day in gas, some residents have access only to nonperishable food, while others are relying on social media for information about laundromats and Wi-Fi locations, notes the outlet
Lee Seeks To Support Affected Families
Lee was already planning to launch a food tour in the Midwest in preparation for his festival, Keith Lee’s FamiLee Day. Now, he’s in talks with the mayor’s office and the Salvation Army to find ways to assist residents by distributing necessities
“How we gonna do a food tour in the Midwest and Gary ain’t had no power?” he said in a TikTok video. “And if you know me, you know I put my money where my mouth is.”
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“Gary, Indiana. We will see y’all in a minute. The Midwest food tour is officially starting, and it’s starting with y’all … Any way we can help, please let me know. We want to show up in the best way we possibly can. We don’t want to just show up for the fact of showing up. So if you can let us know what’s the best way to show up, I will forever be appreciative and grateful,” he added
Lee shared a follow-up video with an update: He is officially partnering with the Salvation Army and the city of Gary to host an event on Monday, Aug. 24. Lee’s family and the Salvation Army will bring trucks with supplies, and Tyrese Haliburton will match their contributions
There have already been countless inquiries from restaurants and food trucks who want to support the community. Those looking to be a part can email Marcus Steele at msteele@gary.gov
Supplies can be sent to the City Life Center at 225 W 5th Ave, Gary, IN 46402
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Volunteers are directed to visit SalvationArmy.org
“I know it’s not turning the power on, but it is a place for community. If you want some supplies or you need some supplies, come get some. If you want some food or you need some food, come get some. If you want to listen to some music or you need that sense of people being around you, come get some. And I’m gonna continue to talk about it because I think this should be a national conversation,” Lee said in the follow-up video
More event details will be released later
The post Keith Lee Is Bringing His Food Tour To Gary, IN, A Predominantly Black City Currently Without Power appeared first on AfroTech
The post Keith Lee Is Bringing His Food Tour To Gary, IN, A Predominantly Black City Currently Without Power appeared first on AfroTech
