Today, the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm have jointly announced this year’s Million Meal Pack initiative, which will take place on Saturday, September 21stat the award-winning State Farm Arena. The Million Meal Pack is the team’s largest service initiative of the year, which will require the largest number of volunteers ever with availability for 6,000 volunteers to help assemble one million meals throughout the day. These meals will have a direct impact in local Atlanta communities as they are distributed throughout the metro area with the operational support of U.S. Hunger, a hunger relief organization with innovative programs designed to help feed people struggling with food insecurity. According to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, one in nine Georgians are food insecure including one in eight children.
Beginning today, volunteer registration is open to the public atHawks.com/mealpack. After completing a volunteer shift, participants will be invited to take part in an exclusive volunteer-only celebration on State Farm Drive that will have games, refreshments and music.
“This signature community event in partnership with State Farm continues to show our commitment to supporting our local communities and being good neighbors,” said Steve Koonin, Chief Executive Officer of the Hawks and State Farm Arena. “We are excited to open this opportunity to all of Atlanta and look forward to more than 6,000 volunteers joining us to help us pack one million meals as we work together to combat food insecurity.”
As part of this one-day initiative, the Hawks and State Farm are asking employee and community groups, schools, churches, sororities, fraternities, and local businesses, along with individuals ages five and up to register for one or more shifts on Saturday, Sept. 21. Those in attendance will be volunteering alongside influencers and notables from the worlds of sports, entertainment, government and business during an exciting day full of fun, music, food, performances, free swag and more, all suitable for the entire family.
“State Farm is excited to announce our fourth Million Meal Pack in partnership with the Atlanta Hawks,” said Tanya James, Corporate Responsibility Manager at State Farm. “Battling food security is important because it addresses an essential human need. The Million Meal pack promotes a sense of community and helps support the efforts of our nonprofit partners who dedicated to feeding metro Atlanta every single day. State Farm is proud to be a part of this community initiative as we strive to build safer, stronger and better educated communities.”
The food assembly will require five 90-minute meal-packing shifts with approximately 1,200 volunteers as part of each shift to reach the target number of meals. The meals from the event will be a nutritious, shelf-stable, dried Jambalaya mix that yields six servings when prepared.
“Atlanta Hawks and State Farm never cease to amaze us with their commitment to impacting the lives of vulnerable Atlantans,” said Rick Whitted, Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Hunger. “We're honored to join forces once again for this year's Million Meal Pack. For 4 years, this event has been a powerful testament to what can be achieved when a community unites with a common purpose. By mobilizing thousands of volunteers, we are not just packing meals; we are packing hope, resilience, and a brighter future for families facing food insecurity. Together, we are turning compassion into action and making a lasting impact in Atlanta.”
The Hawks and State Farm have previously hosted three Million Meal Pack events, in 2023, 2022 and 2019. In those three years, the two organizations have rallied more than 15,000 volunteers packing more than 3.1 million meals.
“We’re excited to team up with State Farm again in our continued effort to combat food insecurity,” said Jon Babul, Vice President of Community Impact and Basketball Programs for the Hawks. “Working together, we can all make the assist and impact the lives of so many individuals and families in need in our area. We hope to see the city come together at State Farm Arena on September 21st.”
The Hawks and State Farm have led efforts in multiple community-focused initiatives to better serve Metro Atlanta. Most recently, the two organizations teamed up to open the tenth Good Neighbor Club at the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA in Southwest Atlanta. The organizations have also continued to fight food insecurity for all ages year-round. In June, the organizations taught youth how to garden sustainability in a full farm-to-table process at the N.H. Scott Recreation Center Good Neighbor Club. Also, during last year’s holiday season, the organizations spread holiday cheer with a ‘Bingo, Beats and Brunch’ event which provided a festive brunch for local seniors at Meals on Wheels Atlanta and each senior went home with a shelf-stable supply of groceries.
