November 21, 2022 – The Charlotte Hornets and Food Lion Feeds today once again provided Thanksgiving meals to 1,000 families in need at the Hornets’ 12th annual Cornucopia event at Spectrum Center. The entire Hornets team and coaching staff helped distribute food, along with Hornets executives and ambassadors, Food Lion executives and associates, Coca-Cola Consolidated executives and staff, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina volunteers.
The Official Hunger Relief Partner of the Charlotte Hornets, Food Lion Feeds donated all the ingredients for a warm Thanksgiving meal: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cut yams, sweet peas, whole kernel corn, macaroni and cheese and cranberry sauce. Hornets partner Coca-Cola Consolidated provided a two-liter bottle of Dr Pepper or Diet Dr Pepper for every meal. Each meal contains enough food to feed a family of four, resulting in approximately 4,000 people being served.
“Thanksgiving is a joyous time for families when everyone should be able to enjoy a holiday meal with their loved ones,” said Hornets President & Vice Chairman Fred Whitfield. “We are proud to do our part to ensure that those in our community who need a helping hand do not miss out on this opportunity. We are thankful to have partners like Food Lion and Coca-Cola Consolidated who value the ability that we have to assist our neighbors.”
This annual collaboration is a united effort to address the needs of local families facing hunger.
“We’re proud to be a long-term partner of the Charlotte Hornets and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina to support our shared mission of feeding our neighbors who are facing hunger,” said Food Lion President Meg Ham. “Food Lion believes no one should have to choose between dinner and rent or gas and groceries. We are committed to helping end hunger in the towns and cities we serve and ensuring families have a warm Thanksgiving meal to share for the moments that matter the most.”
In 2021-2022, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina distributed over 75 million pounds of food to over 950 partner agencies, which include food pantries, soup kitchens and meal programs.
“Without the support of community partners like Food Lion and the Charlotte Hornets, our mission to end hunger would be virtually impossible,” said Kay Carter, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. “We can’t thank them enough for their continued support in helping us feed our neighbors in need in our 24-county service region.”