Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Seek Volunteers For Million Meal Pack Food Initiative

The Atlanta Hawks of the NBA and State Farm are seeking 5,000 volunteers for their fifth joint Million Meal Pack initiative, set to take place Sept. 27at State Farm Arena.

The event, which is the team’s largest annual service initiative, needs 5,000 volunteers to help assemble one million meals throughout the day. The meals will directly benefit communities across the Atlanta metro area, with distribution supported by hunger relief organization U.S. Hunger. According to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, one in seven Georgians are food insecure, including one in five children.

People can register to volunteer by visiting the team’s website. Once volunteers complete their scheduled shift, they will be invited to a special, volunteer-only celebration held on State Farm Drive featuring live music, interactive games and complimentary refreshments as a thank you for their time and commitment.

“Partnering with State Farm on this meaningful initiative reflects our deep-rooted commitment to uplifting the communities we serve and combatting food insecurity,” states Steve Koonin, Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena in a release. “We’re thrilled to invite all of Atlanta to take part in our signature community event, and we’re continually inspired by the thousands of volunteers who come together with us to pack one million meals and make a real difference in the fight against food insecurity.”

As part of this special one-day community effort, the Hawks and State Farm are asking local organizations – ranging from schools and churches to sororities, fraternities, businesses and community groups – as well as individuals (ages five and older), to sign up for one or more volunteer shifts. Over the years, volunteers – including Hawks legends like Dominique Wilkins and current players such as Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson – have come together to pack meals for the community.

“The Million Meal pack promotes a sense of community and helps support the efforts of our nonprofit partners who are dedicated to feeding metro Atlanta every day,” adds Allyson Watts, State Farm Senior Vice President. “State Farm is proud to bring together local State Farm agents, employees and community volunteers for this important initiative as we strive to build safer, stronger, and better educated communities.”

To meet the meal-packing goal, the food assembly will require six 90-minute shifts, each involving approximately 1,000 volunteers. Together, these dedicated teams will assemble thousands of meals over the course of the day. The packaged meals will consist of a nutritious, shelf-stable packaged goods.

The Hawks and State Farm have hosted four previous Million Meal Pack events in 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2019 rallying more than 21,000 volunteers and packing more than 4.1 million meals.