Photo above: Brandon King

The Center for Family Resources submitted the following article and photos:

Brandon King Donates 1,700 Food Items to The Center for Family Resources
Brandon King, a junior at Hillgrove High School and an Eagle Scout candidate, is taking meaningful action to support families experiencing food insecurity—one box at a time. For his Eagle Scout project, Brandon collected, sorted, and packaged an impressive 1,700 nonperishable food items, ultimately assembling 40 “Express Food Boxes” for individuals and families seeking emergency food assistance at The Center for Family Resources (CFR) in Marietta.

“I heard about The Center for Family Resources while researching food pantries,” Brandon explained. “After calling them, I felt it was the best place to donate because they were excited to accept the boxes and help distribute them to families in need.”

Each Express Food Box contains a thoughtfully curated assortment of essential pantry staples, designed to provide immediate support to households facing crisis. These boxes now serve as an important resource for children, adults, and seniors experiencing hunger in the community.

To gather the items, Brandon organized a large food drive at Hillgrove High School. Students contributed 695 items, while friends, neighbors, and family added another 1,005. “I spread the word on Instagram and Snapchat and put flyers around the school,” he said. “I tried to place them where students would see them, and I set out three collection bins so contributions were easy to make.”

Brandon’s commitment to fighting hunger began after attending the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s Youth Summit, where participants learned about local hunger issues and volunteered with organizations such as Urban Recipe and Networks Cooperative Ministry. “We did a deep dive into food insecurity,” he said. “It showed me what it really means to help people who don’t have enough to eat.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 1 in 8 Georgians—and 1 in 6 children—live in food-insecure households. Community-led efforts like Brandon’s offer crucial support to families facing these challenges.

“The generosity and leadership Brandon has shown through this project are truly inspiring,” said Melanie Kagan of The Center for Family Resources. “These boxes will have an immediate impact on families in crisis.”

Brandon hopes to study industry and architecture but says he will “always make time to volunteer and support my community.”