South Carolina DB Nick Emmanwori teams up with Roy's Grille for Thanksgiving turkey giveaway
Leading up to the holiday most known for food and family, South Carolina junior defensive back Nick Emmanwori spent Monday afternoon giving back to his Irmo, S.C. community.
Emmanwori, teamed up with fellow Irmo High School grad Chris Williams, owner of Roy’s Grille, to provide turkeys to 100 area families in need of support for the holidays.
“Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of dudes come through Irmo giving back so that’s like one of the things on my, I don’t want to say bucket list, but one of my goals if I was fortunate enough and was a position to do it, just to come back and Irmo and cement my legacy on the field and off the field,” Emmanwori said.
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Emmanwori and Williams teamed up with the school district to identify the 100 families and then sent them vouchers to use at the turkey giveaway.
Emmanwori then handed out the turkeys, taking photos and signing autographs in the Roy’s Grille parking lot with the restaurant offering to prepare the fresh turkeys for the families who select that option.
Williams, who has operated the business for 10 years, the first eight in Lexington and the most recent two in Irmo, jumped at the opportunity to partner up with the Gamecocks’ star defender.
“It’s a passion of mine to be able to give back to my community and being able to do it with Nick; Nick’s a great young man,” Williams said. “I’ve known Nick the majority of his life and just to see him ascending and doing the things that he’s doing, it’s just a blessing. To be able to team up and partner with him, it’s awesome. I have my own thing that I typically do every year for the holidays, so to be able to partner up with Nick and do it bigger and better than I’ve ever done it, is just amazing.”
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The duo also partnered with Bella Ruth Sweets and Purposely Made Sweets to provide each family with a cake or pie they could leave with on Monday.
Roy’s Grille also sold Thanksgiving side dishes at the event with a portion of the proceeds going to Oliver Gospel, a homeless shelter in Columbia, S.C.
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer has tried to foster a culture of giving back within his program. Fellow Gamecock defender Kyle Kennard had a similar event last week while Emmanwori credited another former Carolina player for inspiring him to give back.
“I remember as a freshman Dakareon Joyner used to do a lot of events like this and that kind of inspired me,” Emmanwori said. “I kind of reached out to him to learn how to give back to the community. He gave me some tips and like a guide to do it and I’ve been following his steps.”
