Hawks players Kingston Flemings, Asa Newell, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Wilson, government officials and more joined volunteers for the Hawks and State Farm’s largest single-day community service of the year.
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm® rallied more than 5,000 volunteers Saturday at the award-winning State Farm Arena for the 2026 Million Meal Pack, assembling one million meals to help combat food insecurity across metro Atlanta.
Now in its sixth year, the Million Meal Pack remains the Hawks’ largest single-day community service initiative, delivering critical support to local families and communities.
Hawks players Kingston Flemings, Asa Newell, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Wilson, alongside executives from both the Hawks and State Farm, worked alongside volunteers throughout the day to pack meals and advance the shared mission of addressing food insecurity in Atlanta.
The event also welcomed community leaders and special guests who joined volunteers in making a meaningful, tangible impact for families across the region, such as U.S. Congresswoman Nikema Williams, Atlanta City Council President Marci Overstreet, Atlanta City Council Member Matt Westmoreland, Hawks Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, musical artist Pastor Troy and many more.
Together, individuals, families, community groups, churches, schools, businesses and more rallied together to pack meals on the floor of State Farm Arena. With support from volunteers from U.S. Hunger, they collectively achieved an impressive total of 1,002,402 meals packed.
“Seeing thousands of people come together at State Farm Arena to serve our neighbors is a powerful reminder of what this community can accomplish,” said Steve Koonin, chief executive officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. “Over the last six years, with the unwavering commitment of our volunteers and the strength of our partnership with State Farm, we have now packed more than 6.1 million meals that will help nourish families across metro Atlanta. This is more than a single day of service. It is a bold, collective stand against food insecurity and a powerful example of the change we can create when we come together with purpose.”
The one-day packing event yielded:
- 167,067 meal bags
- 128,778.5 pounds of food
- 3,480.5 boxes of food
- 288 meals per box
- 48 bags per box
“Addressing hunger requires all of us to bring our resources, energy and determination to the table,” said Allyson Watts, senior vice president of Market Area, State Farm. “For six years, State Farm and the Atlanta Hawks have united with volunteers across Atlanta to turn a shared commitment into meaningful action. Reaching this milestone reflects the power of our partnership and the lasting difference we can make when we work together to ensure more families have access to nourishing meals.”
More than one million meals packed during the event will be distributed to families and communities throughout metro Atlanta, thanks to the operational support of U.S. Hunger, a hunger relief organization known for its innovative, impact-driven programs supporting individuals facing food insecurity.
These meals will directly benefit key local partners, including the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Hosea Helps, Midwest Food Bank, the Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta, and Sweetwater Mission.
According to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, one in eight Georgians are living with food insecurity, including one in six children in our service area are food insecure.
“Every meal packed today represents meaningful support for a neighbor who may be struggling to consistently access nutritious food,” said Rick Whitted, chief executive officer of U.S. Hunger. “We are proud to continue this work alongside the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm, whose commitment to metro Atlanta helps turn large-scale volunteer action into direct assistance for local families. Through partnerships like this, we can reach more communities with nourishment, strengthen household stability and help build a more food-secure future.”
As the world’s first sports and entertainment venue to earn TRUE Zero Waste Platinum certification, State Farm Arena continues to set the standard for sustainability. This marks the fifth Million Meal Pack hosted at the arena under zero waste conditions, diverting over 90% of all event materials from landfills, from setup to breakdown. Every element, down to the last cardboard box used in meal packaging, is responsibly upcycled – amplifying the event’s environmental impact alongside its powerful social mission to combat food insecurity.
The Hawks and State Farm have previously hosted five Million Meal Pack events, in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2019. In those five years, the two organizations have rallied more than 26,000 volunteers packing more than 5.1 million meals to benefit the community.
Since the launch of the partnership in 2018, the Hawks and State Farm have led efforts in multiple community-focused initiatives to better serve Metro Atlanta.
Earlier this year, the two organizations partnered to host Good Neighbor Day, an initiative dedicated to strengthening individual bodies and minds to build a stronger community, where youth from participating Good Neighbor Clubs and their families came together for a full day focused on physical and mental wellness.
Together, the organizations have opened 12 Good Neighbor Clubs around Metro Atlanta, with the most recent opening at the Pittman Park Recreation Center in the historic Pittsburgh neighborhood.
Together, the Hawks and State Farm continue to create impactful, community-centered programming that inspires the next generation and strengthens neighborhoods across Atlanta.
To learn more about the Hawks work in the community, visit hawks.com/community.
To learn more about how State Farm supports safety, education and community development, visit: Community Service & Involvement – State Farm®.
