WS Chronicle

To the Editor:

Jenard and Destiny Moore are millennials with a heart of compassion for helping others.  What started as a desire three years ago to provide fully cooked Thanksgiving dinners to 10 families, continues to grow and expand. 

It all began when Jenard, founder of the I Am Program (an empowering affirmation mentoring program) began volunteering in the Winston-Salem Forsyth County school system as a male mentor to fifth graders. As the holiday season drew near, Jenard sensed some of his students weren’t excited about Thanksgiving. Discussions led a few students to share that they didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving because their families didn’t have a lot of food. 

Without hesitation and only two weeks before Thanksgiving, Jenard reached out to his family and friends and shared his vision to raise enough money to provide fully cooked meals. Each family was identified through a confidential process working with school counselors.  As others heard about their efforts they committed to help the following year and help they did.

The I Am Program and partners tripled their contributions and fed 30 families during what became their second annual Thanksgiving Love Drive. The fully cooked complete meal included turkey, ham, stuffing, green beans, gravy, macaroni and cheese, yams, rolls, and tea. Each family was grateful and the volunteer team was full of joy by the time the last meal was picked up!

Jenard and his wife, Destiny, are amazed and committed to help their generation help bridge the gap to fight hunger and empower young people. In addition to their volunteerism in the school system and their Thanksgiving annual Love Drive, Jenard and Destiny have a millennial relationship podcast, Moore Love Connection, that offers insight, empowerment and real talk on over 40 podcast platforms and has a national/international audience. 

The Moore’s, Diggs-Latham Elementary, Griffith Elementary all participated in I Am Program’s third annual Thanksgiving Love Drive this month! Families from both schools were identified. The I Am Program and its partners we able to feed over 20-plus families between both Title 1 schools! Each family received a fully cooked meal that fed between six and eight family members. 

When asked why they are dedicated to feeding families and spending their holiday season making sure others have a Happy Thanksgiving, Jenard explained that their last name is representative of their desire to “Spread Moore Love” each year. 

Volunteer Alicia Clinton

Winston-Salem