Chapel Hill, North Carolina
March 27, 2023
On Saturday, March 25th, 25 UNC football players with Heels4Life, and their non-profit partner, North Carolina Hall of Fame (“NCHOF”), attended an educational session and volunteered with TABLE in Carrboro to package individual bags of food for over 800 local children and their families. TABLE has worked to provide access to healthy meals and snacks for children since 2008. TABLE feeds over 800 kids each week, and delivers food to nearly 420 individual homes. With the help of the UNC football players and the rest of the TABLE volunteers, Saturday’s event was a success.
“It was great to not only help pack the bags for the families in need but also to learn about the critical issues so many of them face every day that go unnoticed,” said Amari Gainer, a graduate student linebacker. “Orange County is special to our team and it’s important to make a lasting impact to serve the families in the community.”
Regarding Saturday’s event, Kevin Rice, Executive Director of NCHOF, noted “[a]t NCHOF, we are committed to connecting student athletes with organizations working hard to make a better life for the people of Chapel Hill and the Orange County community generally. Saturday’s event provided the players an opportunity to learn more about a critical issue facing kids in their own community, and to see the direct impact they can personally make.”
Saturday’s event was sponsored by FLEXTC, which provided the nonperishable goods the players packed for families in need. John Keller, CEO of FLEXTC, is a former UNC Football letterman.
“We are excited and grateful for our partnerships with Heels4Life and NCHOF, giving us the opportunity to work with the amazing student athletes who are a part of these organizations,” said Ashton Tippins, Executive Director, TABLE. “The student athletes brought so much energy and fun to Saturday’s shift! The bags of food they packaged, sponsored by FLEXTC, will go directly to the kids we serve, providing an immediate impact in these children’s lives. We look forward to our future work with Heels4Life and the NCHOF to bring more awareness to the needs in our community and to TABLE’s mission.”
This isn’t the first time that TABLE has partnered with the UNC Football program. Last year they hosted a successful donation event with former UNC quarterback and current Commanders QB, Sam Howell. TABLE, NCHOF, and Heels4Life plan to continue to build the group’s relationship and impact in the community.