Volunteers pack 1 million meals at State Farm Arena to combat food shortages in Atlanta

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Thousands of people packed State Farm Arena Saturday – but they weren't there to watch a game. Instead, the crowd's goal was to pack a million meals in a single day.

Sponsored by the Atlanta Hawks, this will be the fourth time in 2024 that the community has come together to pack meals at the arena. The packaged food will go to five local nonprofits dedicated to fighting food insecurity.

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Jon Babul, the Hawks' vice president of community impact and basketball programs, said the event attracted more than 6,000 volunteers this year, about 1,000 more than last year. Participants include Hawks fans, Hawks players, politicians and even celebrities like Mariah the Scientist and Domaini Harris.

“This is Atlanta,” he said, waving his hand toward the huge crowd. “It's just a hodgepodge, a potpourri of the people of Atlanta, and we're here because of the food shortage.”

According to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, one in eight Georgians lacks access to regular, healthy food. For children, the figure is one in five.

This year’s charitable meal recipients are:

• Atlanta Community Food Bank
• Hosea helps
• Midwest, Georgia
• Freshwater Mission
• The Salvation Army

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