All Hawks

Hawks & State Farm Organize Event to Pack One Million Meals

Hawks & State Farm remain an integral part of Atlanta community.

Pat Benson

Hawks
In this story:

State Farm Arena was buzzing with energy before sunrise on Saturday morning. Thousands of volunteers lined up at 6:00 am to help fight food insecurity in metro Atlanta. 

Volunteers were greeted with upbeat music and high-fives as they walked onto the floor. From there, a large assembly line formed, which included Atlanta Hawks and State Farm executives, local leaders, and NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo. Everyone worked side-by-side to support the team’s largest single-day community service initiative.

Steve Koonin, CEO of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, said, “We understand that it is a huge undertaking to tackle food insecurity throughout Atlanta, and we believe that this one-day community service initiative will make an incredible impact and also inspire our communities throughout metro Atlanta.”

As the day progressed, the energy only increased. Volunteers encouraged each other as they worked in six 90-minute shifts. City of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Congresswoman Nikema Williams lauded the wide array of organizations that dedicated their time to helping the community.

State Farm Senior Vice President Dan Krause said, "When we started partnering with the Hawks in 2018, both organizations had a big desire to make an impact on the Atlanta community. That was one of the things we had talked about when we had done the naming-rights deal. These two organizations are so aligned when it comes to the values and what we want to do to build safer and stronger communities."

As part of accomplishing various packing milestones throughout the day and after completing a lone volunteer shift, attendees celebrated on State Farm Drive with games, refreshments, music, and fun. Even musicians and former players had fun with fans under a clear blue sky.

Andrew Saltzman, EVP and Chief Revenue Officer, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, said, "Unfortunately, we were not able to do it the last two years because of the pandemic. But to be back now and be together and having this event again is super exciting. We are just thrilled to help make Atlanta a better place to live, work, and play."

By the end of the day, 5,000 volunteers yielded 1,019,232 meals. The meals will be distributed with the operational support of U.S. Hunger. Additionally, ten other local organizations will help distribute the meals: Atlanta Community Food Bank, CHRIS 180, City of Refuge, Fountain of Hope, Georgia State University Panther’s Pantry, Goodr, Meals On Wheels Atlanta, Mimi’s Pantry and Second Helpings Atlanta.

Continuing to operate as the world's first TRUE Platinum certified sports and entertainment venue, this event is also marked as the first zero waste Million Meal Pack. As part of this event, State Farm Arena diverted more than 90 percent from landfills that includes all materials generated from load-in to load-out. In an intentional effort, the packaging also uses messaging to encourage recycling within the recipients' communities.

The Hawks and State Farm pulled off a logistical miracle that will immediately impact the community. Yet the two partners remain forward-looking. When speaking with sweat-soaked executives, the recurring theme was the desire to find the next daunting challenge to tackle. In a city known for hard work and civic service, the Hawks and State Farm remain #TrueToAtlanta.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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