ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 14:  Mannie fresh attends BMI Holiday Party at O2 Lounge on December 14, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage)

Fill the U-Haul with toys! Mannie Fresh, We Dat’s, Peaches Records team up to bring Christmas cheer

We Dat's Chicken & Shrimp, Peaches Records, Studio Be, NOLA Lapel Pins and Mannie Fresh are teaming up to give a little more this Christmas.

by Mary Staes | December 19, 2018

Christmas is less than a week away!

While we’re busy getting those gifts for the people we love, it’s always good to remember those less fortunate.

DJ Mannie Fresh is just one of the community leaders teaming up to give the children of New Orleans a little extra this year by filling an entire U-Haul with toys. The idea started as a way to continue the legacy of his sister, Angela Thomas, after she was murdered 11 years ago.

“She used to do this on a smaller scale before her death,” said Kevin Griffin-Clark, owner of NOLA Lapel Pins and Fresh’s nephew. “She would collect a lot of toys and give them out to the kids in the neighborhood in the 7th Ward where they grew up at.”

Griffin-Clark said the drive is a way to honor his aunt and keep her memory alive. He’ll be teaming up with We Dat’s Chicken & Shrimp, Peaches Records, Studio Be and his uncle, to bring the U-Haul to different locations across the city.

The final donation location will be at The Maison on Saturday, Dec. 22, where Mannie Fresh will be hosting his annual ugly sweater Christmas party.

“We’re from New Orleans, and we want to give the kids something else to look forward to,” said Griffin-Clark. “We understand that we’re fortunate to have something for Christmas. We wanted to not just give back but encourage the citizens to give back because we understand that a lot of kids and families are in need and it’s really proven around this time.”

Studio Be
Getting there
2941 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70117, USA
Hours
Mon-Tue Closed
Wed-Sat 2 – 8 PM
Sun 2 – 6 PM
More Info
Peaches Records
Getting there
4318 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA
Hours
Mon-Sun 10 AM – 5 PM
More Info
We Dat's
$$$$
Getting there
1407 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
Hours
Mon-Thu 11 AM – 12 AM
Fri-Sat 11 AM – 2 AM
Sun Closed
More Info
The Maison
$$$$
Getting there
508 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA 70116, USA
Hours
Mon 4 PM – 12 AM
Tue 5 PM – 12:30 AM
Wed Closed
Thu 4 PM – 1 AM
Fri 4 PM – 2 AM
Sat 1 PM – 2 AM
Sun 4 PM – 1 AM
More Info

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Mary Staes

Mary Staes

Mary Staes is Digital Content Lead for Very Local. She works with our freelancers and crafts content for our social media platforms and website. Before Very Local, she worked with CBS affiliate WWL-TV as a web producer and weekend assignment editor for about 4 years. She has also handled broadcast coverage for 160 Marine Reserve training facilities while she served as an active duty Marine. As a native New Orleanian, she takes being "very local" to heart. She loves being intertwined with the culture and figuring out how there are less than two degrees of separation between us all, whether we're natives or not.

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