Families across Macon-Bibb County received support and a warm welcome on Saturday, March 21, as the Girls Dig Deeper Initiative (GDDI) hosted a drive-thru food distribution at the Bloomfield Recreation Center.
Volunteers and teen girls in the GDDI program, distributed full meal bags to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity. By the end of the event, a total of 153 families had been served.
Each bag included a variety of pantry staples such as tuna, mac and cheese, dinner meals, chunk white chicken, canned sweet corn, black beans, peanut butter, spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, and rice, providing families with essential items to help stretch meals at home.
GDDI members were on site throughout the morning, working together to ensure families were served quickly and with care. This marked the organization’s second drive-thru food distribution as it continues its mission to address food insecurity and support families in the community.
“We know that when families have access to food, it creates stability and peace of mind,” said GDDI Founder Najiva Timothee. “This is about showing up for our community, making sure people feel supported, and reminding families they are not alone.”
Through Macon Violence Prevention (MVP), GDDI has also led a variety of programs aimed at empowering young people and strengthening families, including the Dig Deep Series for teen girls, mentorship opportunities, money management classes, community wellness and leadership events, and teen mental health and conflict resolution seminars.
Between 2022 and 2026, GDDI received $50,000 in grant funding through MVP from the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, helping expand its impact and reach across Macon-Bibb County.
Since MVP’s full implementation in 2022, our community has seen significant reductions in both overall and youth homicides, outpacing the declines reported in other U.S. cities during the same period. From 2022 to 2025, Macon-Bibb reduced homicides by 60%, dropping from 71 to 39. Even more striking, youth homicides (among those under 18) fell from 15 in 2022 to just 2 in 2025 — an 87% reduction in only two years.