On Feb. 7, Delta hosted two celebrations at the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) and in select Delta Sky Clubs® at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to commemorate 40 years of partnership and progress toward ending hunger in metro Atlanta and north Georgia.

Delta people and SkyMiles® Members spent the morning volunteering at the ACFB, and in select Delta Sky Clubs, where guests were gifted jars of local, metro Atlanta honey to take with them to their next destination. By the end of the day, our volunteers sorted over 15,000 pounds of potatoes, a portion that will contribute to more than 12,000 meals — and at least 1,500 jars of honey were given to families served by the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Delta volunteers and loyal Delta customers.

Why honey? As part of Delta’s commitment to supporting the environment, three beehives have been maintained by Bee Downtown beekeepers at Delta’s headquarters in Atlanta for the past six years. Each year, Bee Downtown harvests, bottles and returns the Delta bees’ superfood honey crop to share with the community.

During the event, V.P. of Global Sales and Atlanta Community Food Bank board member Shawn Cole touched on the necessity of this work and the importance of group and individual volunteerism at food banks.

“Hunger is widespread in Georgia, and it affects all of us, not just the 11% of Georgia residents who are food insecure," said Cole. "The Atlanta Community Food Bank relies on volunteers every day to help with important tasks such as sorting and packing food donations and a host of other duties to keep this mission moving forward."

Delta’s support of ACFB is core to our mission to positively impact the people where we live, work and serve. As a part of that commitment, Delta contributes 1% of its net income to charitable organizations each year. We believe that no one should go hungry, and through our food bank partnerships, employee volunteerism and charitable giving, Delta is able to provide more than 100,000 meals annually to those in need.