Thousands of volunteers pack 1 million meals to fight food insecurity in metro Atlanta

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Volunteers from all over metro Atlanta showed up by the thousands to help fight local food insecurity on Saturday.

The fifth annual event at the State Farm Arena aimed to pack a million meals. Volunteers assembled kits that will provide people and families with six meals.

“It gives me a bubbly feeling inside, that we can make a difference,” Kenya Lavelle, a volunteer from Atlanta, said.

People like Lavelle brought the energy for a full day of giving back. Entire families even volunteered — including 6-year-old Matthew Gore.

“I just want to have fun and do some work,” he told Atlanta News First.

Another volunteer, Priscilla Curtis from Jonesboro, said it’s all about giving back.

“At any given time, that could be me on the other side,” she said. “[I’m] really happy for me to be here.”

“And everybody rooting us on with the pom poms makes you feel good to be a part of something so big like this,” Jeanette Word, a volunteer from Lithonia, shared.

The Atlanta Community Food Bank said 1 in 7 Georgians, including 1 in 5 children, live with food insecurity. That staggering statistic is why the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena continue hosting the annual event.

“We recognize that this is a major problem for our city, but we realize we can’t do this by ourselves. It requires all of the hands of Atlanta to get this job done,” Alexis Roe, the Atlanta Hawks’ vice president of community impact, said.

“And we love being in the background, being a part of that,” added US Hunger CEO Rick Whitted.

US Hunger has been a community partner with the event for several years. Its own members also volunteered to pack meals.

“This is one of those events where you get to literally tangibly put your hands to good work,” Whitted said. “It’s the difference between, ‘Do I have to skip a meal so my baby can eat, or we can all eat together?’”

This year’s meal recipients include the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Hoseas Helps, Midwest Food Bank, Sweetwater Mission Inc. and the Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta.