Boxing Out Hunger One Donation at a Time

Combining their love of basketball with compassion for community members struggling with food insecurity, NRCA juniors Carr Jennings and his friends Jeremiah Adeyanju, Charles Eyster, and Asher Perry decided to serve together. The four took collection boxes to their local community and AAU basketball tournaments this summer, where donations of nonperishables flooded in.  

When it was time to deliver the donations to local food pantries, the juniors went the extra mile, unloading the food and helping stock the shelves. “We got the idea that instead of just dropping food off that we could help unpack things there and reduce the amount of time that they had to spend unpacking the goods,” Jennings said. Their generous offer to unload and unpack the food donations at the Tri-Area Ministry Food Pantry resulted in a Facebook shout-out from the organization’s volunteers. 

With the goal of expanding the scope of the outreach, Jennings, aided by his family and friends, formed a nonprofit—Box Out for Hunger. 

“The main goal of Box Out for Hunger is to help address food insecurity in our community,” Jennings said. “We are currently working with local sports organizations by placing collection boxes at their facilities, allowing athletes, families, and community members to donate nonperishable food items.” 

Jennings explained that Box Out for Hunger coordinates “the collection and distribution of those donations to help people facing food insecurity.” In addition, the team helps food pantry staff unload donations and stock shelves. 

“We’re really excited to be out there serving the community,” Jennings said.  

Adeyanju agreed. “I really enjoyed being able to give back to the community while doing something I love. It was rewarding to see how a simple donation could make a difference, and I’m grateful that we had the opportunity to serve alongside each other. I hope we can continue to grow Box Out for Hunger and make an even bigger impact in the community in the future.” 

Box Out for Hunger is looking to partner with more youth sports and local organizations to help meet community needs and create a lasting impact far beyond the basketball court.