The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Teach Youth to Garden Sustainably

Hawks’ Guard Garrison Matthews Engaged with Students and Georgia’s Youngest Certified Farmer, Kendall Rae Johnson.

The Atllanta Hawks and State Farm Teach Youth to Garden Sustainably / Atlanta Hawks

Earlier today, the Hawks and State Farm teamed up to host a gardening event, Growing Places, for local youth to teach them about sustainability. At the event, which took place at the Good Neighbor Club at the N.H. Scott Recreation Center, students were joined by Hawks’ Guard, Garrison Matthews, as they learned how to plant and harvest produce and make refreshing smoothies with fresh produce with Georgia’s youngest certified farmer, Kendall Rae Johnson.

“The State Farm Good Neighbor Clubs and Hawks Community Courts are our home away from home where we can build communities and provide educational opportunities and basketball programs for youth to learn, grow and thrive,” said Hawks’ Vice President of Community Impact and Basketball Programs, Jon Babul. “Our commitment to youth development goes beyond basketball and education is the foundation and catalyst for opportunity. The knowledge shared today about sustainable, healthy lifestyles will last a lifetime.”

Students joined Johnson and the Chattahoochee Nature Center for a panel about sustainability and how gardening can help everyday life. Following the panel, students learned about the life cycle of produce as they planted tomatoes, beats, carrot seeds and more in the garden alongside volunteers from the Chattahoochee Nature Center. At the next station, youth learned how to correctly harvest the food and were able to make a refreshing smoothie with produce with Johnson. The students were also able to engage with a box turtle at another station and learn how wildlife interacts with nature.

“State Farm’s partnership with the Atlanta Hawks continues to have a positive impact on students across metro Atlanta,” said State Farm Corporate Responsibility Manager, Tanya James. “We are currently partnering to give students at the N.H. Scott Recreation Center the opportunity to learn about gardening from experts like Kendall Rae Johnson and the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Students will assist with planting seeds in the community garden and learn about sustainable gardening practices. Helping students learn about gardening deepens our commitment to impacting food insecurity while building safe, stronger and better educated communities.”

Last week, Hawks and State Farm worked together to prepare the garden for today’s event and continued future use. Volunteers from both organizations set up new plant beds, planted flowers and installed a new shed and fence, which youth were able to enjoy as part of the event. The students also helped at today’s event by painting rocks to decorate the garden. The youth at the N.H. Scott Recreation Center Good Neighbor Club can continue to implement the skills they learned at today’s event and enjoy the fresh produce from the garden.

The Hawks and State Farm have led efforts in multiple community-focused initiatives to better serve Metro Atlanta. In January 2022, the organizations opened the newly renovated and expanded ‘Good Neighbor Pantry’ with a ‘Stock the Pantry Party’ to support underserved seniors in the community. The Hawks and State Farm also host the annual Million Meal Pack, the team’s largest service initiative, in which they pack more than one million meals for the Atlanta community.

To learn more about the Hawks work in the community, visit Hawks.com/Community.