ATLANTA – The Hawks Foundation and State Farm, along with Hawks guard/forward Cam Reddish, have joined Goodr, an Atlanta-based social impact startup leveraging technology to reduce food waste and end hunger, to expand the Snack Pack Program. This initiative is designed to help fill the food insecurity gap by ensuring that children have access to food and snacks that are either already prepared or easy to make. Because of the ongoing pandemic, school districts are no longer able to provide snacks throughout the week as many students have continued to learn virtually, and some are at home alone while their parents are at work. The program will run through June 30, 2021 and expand to serve those in Atlanta Public Schools, Clayton County, Cobb County, DeKalb County, and Gwinnett County School Districts, ultimately serving 24,000 packs to students.
“We are happy to partner with Cam Reddish and State Farm to expand the Snack Pack program and service more students in the Metro Atlanta area,” said Andrea Carter, Hawks Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility. “Being able to supply children with nourishment as they continue to learn virtually is what being True to Atlanta and true to our community is all about.”
“Knowing how many students depended on school meals for daily nourishment prior to the pandemic immediately made me want to get involved with the Snack Pack program,” said Reddish. “The kids have gone through so many changes, and I can only imagine how much of a struggle it has been to adjust over this past year. Expanding this program will hopefully continue to provide much needed support and bring back a sense of normalcy into their lives while helping them stay focused on their schoolwork. I’m honored to champion such an important project for the Atlanta community.”
Throughout the duration of this initiative, 1,200 snack packs will be distributed weekly to 600 students at different sites within the various school systems. Each pack provides three meals, five snacks and three beverages. Some of the snacks in the pack include: Smoothies, fruit snacks, apple sauce, fruit, sandwiches, cookies and more.
“Making a positive difference in communities where we live and work is fundamental to State Farm,” said State Farm Corporate Responsibility Manager, Tanya James. “We are thankful for another opportunity to partner with the Hawks and Cam Reddish, in providing snacks to more children in Metro Atlanta.”
Throughout the ongoing pandemic, the Hawks and State Farm have continued their commitment to strengthen the neighborhoods that we live and work in. Last year, along with Goodr, the Hawks and State Farm hosted 10 pop-up grocery stores to combat food insecurity across Metro Atlanta. This initiative supplied more than 220,000 meals to the most vulnerable populations: senior citizens and low-income students who rely on subsidized school meals for daily nourishment.
On Saturday, Jan. 16, in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm teamed up with Goodr and the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation to provide more than 300 families and senior citizens in Metro Atlanta a free pop-up grocery store at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation and Aquatic Center. Because of the ongoing pandemic, the event functioned as a drive-thru to ensure a safe experience. This joint effort also included home food deliveries for senior citizens that took place on Friday, Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr.’s actual birthday. Community members in need were provided with fresh meat, produce and shelf-stable items.
On Dec. 12, 2020, as part of the Atlanta Hawks annual ‘Season of Giving’ initiative,the Hawks and State Farm hosted a Holiday Giving Pop-Up event for families in Cobb County to celebrate the grand opening of the new Atlanta Hawks and State Farm co-branded basketball court and State Farm Good Neighbor Club (GNC), located at Ron Anderson Recreation Center at Wild Horse Creek Park in Cobb County. The new Hawks and State Farm co-branded basketball court located at Wild Horse Creek Park is the 28th court built by the Atlanta Hawks Foundation since the beginning of this initiative in 2015. The State Farm Good Neighbor Club located inside of the recreation center is the fifth room renovation since the beginning of this initiative in partnership with State Farm in 2019, and the first in Cobb County. More than 100 children received gifts from their wish lists in a drive-thru format to ensure a safe environment.