22 Hands-up, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing education, employment, and empowerment opportunities for youth, held its first annual Food Fest on Saturday, June 15. The event was a roaring success, drawing significant community support.
The Food Fest featured a wide variety of delicious foods, with tickets priced at $40 per person. Tickets were in high demand and sold out quickly. In addition to the food offerings, the event included an auction of sports memorabilia.
“We’re raising money,” said 22 Hands-up President Darrell Hampton. “Our interest is all about the youth, but, you know in this day and time, it takes money to do everything.”
Calvin Young, who developed the program for 22 Hands-up, highlighted the event’s broader scope. “This is a multi-parish, and even multi-state endeavor. The main thing is to raise funds so we can have a very successful youth program for the kids of northwest Louisiana and the surrounding states.”
Highlighting the event was legendary Grambling State University Hall of Fame retired baseball coach Wilbert Ellis. Ellis, a long-standing Kappa Alpha Psi member, is also a deacon at the Zion Travelers Baptist Church in Ruston, an associate member of the HBCU Boosters, and an administrator of the Eddie Robinson Museum.
22 Hands-up aims to foster a commitment to all young people that promotes prosocial behavior, strong interpersonal skills, and a sense of hope for their future. The organization focuses on establishing personal relationships that encourage individual responsibility, aiding youth in their commitment to follow through on their path to adulthood with pride and accomplishment.
Event organizers are already starting to plan for the second Food Fest. For more information about 22 Hands-up or to donate to this cause, contact Darrell Hampton at (318) 268-2223.
