ATL Standard

With the end of March marking the end of National Nutrition Month, the Atlanta Hawks teamed up with State Farm recently to teach youth about healthy eating and the origin of food by empowering participants to become junior chefs at the William Walker Recreation Center.

The food was prepared by the Hawks and State Farm Arena’s Executive Chef Joe Schafer, who spoke to students about the importance of proper nutrition and choosing recipes with healthy ingredients, according to March 25 press release.

“It was great being a part of our Jr. Chef Program with State Farm for National Nutrition Month,” Schafer said in the release. “Through these efforts, we aspire to continue to educate youth on making healthy decisions that will impact themselves, their families and the Atlanta community.”

Hawks forward-center Onyeka Okongwu spoke at the event, according to the release.

With an array of activities, youth in attendance learned about different countries, created three dishes that represent those countries and walked away with recipes to encourage healthy choices when eating, the release stated.

In addition to efforts to fight food insecurity locally, the Hawks and State Farm have also joined forces to open seven Good Neighbor Clubs in the Atlanta area, according to the release. Under Schafer’s tenure, State Farm Arena and the Hawks reportedly received the top score for food and beverage in the NBA’s 2018-2019 Fan Loyalty Tracker Program.