On Friday, the Atlanta Hawks joined with UPS, the team’s delivery and logistics partner, and Goodr, an Atlanta-based social impact startup leveraging technology to reduce food waste and end hunger, to provide a one-week supply of easy-to-prepare groceries and age-appropriate books to over 300 families in Fulton County. The donation provided students and their families with nutritious meals and reading options for the summer, when those resources have proven more difficult to come by for some families.
Hawks players Chaundee Brown Jr. and Sharife Cooper assisted with the donations, as did team mascot Harry the Hawk and the ATL Hawks Dancers.
“We are grateful to UPS in joining us in this effort to fight local food insecurity,” said Hawks Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Andrea Carter. “Coming together with Goodr for ‘Books and Bites’ and finding meaningful ways to engage underserved families speaks to our values as an organization and what it means to be ‘True To Atlanta.’”
On location in the parking lot of Greenbriar Mall, executives and volunteers from the Hawks organization and UPS packed and distributed free books and groceries. These meals included kids’ snacks, fruits, beverages, ready-made meals and more.
Along with the donations, the event featured a bounce house, book reading area, tailgate activities, a snack area, balloon art, face painting, and a dental and vision assessment. Executives in Human Resources from UPS also spoke to participating families about job openings.
“Goodr is always honored to partner with the Atlanta Hawks and UPS to support underserved Atlantans,” Goodr Founder and CEO Jasmine Crowe said. “Feeding both body and mind is important. This means that the impact of ‘Books and Bites’ will last beyond just the meals provided for the families involved.”
This past November, the Atlanta Hawks and UPS provided Thanksgiving Day essentials to more than 350 families in Clayton County. The event featured Hawks head coach Nate McMillan, assistant coach Joe Prunty and Hawks players Clint Capela and Jalen Johnson, who were joined by UPS employees and volunteers to pack and distribute free groceries in time for the holiday. In December, the Hawks announced Jasmine Crowe, founder and CEO of Goodr as a recipient of the ‘Forever 404 Honors presented by Sharecare.’
Goodr is built on the principle that food insecurity is not an issue of scarcity; it’s a matter of logistics. Goodr offers a variety of Hunger Relief and Food Waste Solutions, which include Surplus Food Recovery, Pop-Up Grocery Markets, and more. The company has served nearly 30 million meals to those in need and redirected nearly 5 million pounds of organic material away from landfills.