Volunteers with Metro United Way put together snack bags to fight food insecurity

Volunteers with Metro United Way and the Muhammad Ali Center came together Thursday to help fill that need, all while honoring Muhammad Ali.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Many children in Louisville face food insecurity each year.

"It gets compounded over the summer break," Adria Johnson, CEO of Metro United Way, said. "Kids are out of school and don't have what schools provide."

Volunteers with Metro United Way and the Muhammad Ali Center came together Thursday to help fill that need, all while honoring Muhammad Ali.

Pictured: this frame grab taken from video dated June 8, 2023, shows Lonnie Ali talking about the Metro United Way's efforts to fight food insecurity at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky. (WDRB photo)

"He wanted to help the kids in this community," Lonnie Ali, Muhammad Ali's wife, said. "Our mission is to carry out the Ali legacy by giving back. I know his spirit is here with us today."

Volunteers as young as four years old packed 2,200 paper bags with snacks. That's more than they have ever done before during The Greatest Giveback.

Volunteers also decorated the snack bags with affirmations and some of Ali's most famous sayings. Lonnie Ali says this is the perfect way to honor her late husband's legacy.

"It sort of keeps Muhammad here with me and my heart," Lonnie Ali said. "I know if he was here, he'd be right up there with them at one of these tables, helping as well."

In the afternoon, volunteers regrouped and packed 2,200 backpacks with school supplies.

"There's a variety of things that kids need," Johnson said. "Whether it's paper or folders or pencils, they're things that children need to start off this this upcoming academic year."

Pictured: this frame grab taken from video dated June 8, 2023, shows volunteers with The Greatest Giveback chatting while decorating snack bags at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky. (WDRB photo)

Johnson said there were 500 volunteers, all from different backgrounds.

"I think it often feels like there's a lot of division in our society," Johnson said. "This is an incredible day that just refutes that. It shows there are still so many people from so many walks of life that just want to do good."

Lonnie Ali said she believes events like this close the gaps between inclusion.

"Muhammad was a Kentuckian," Lonnie Ali said. "He was a Louisvillian, and we're all about love."

There are volunteer opportunities on the United Way website for anyone who would like to get involved with future projects.

"There's always a need throughout the entire year to help others," Johnson said. "Pick your poison, depending on your time, your capacity, the way in which you want to give."

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