FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — To expand access to youth sports across Georgia, Atlanta Falcons players spent time Tuesday afternoon packing 180 kits filled with new sports equipment that will be distributed to youth-serving groups throughout the state.

It was the organization's latest effort to put its values into action through its annual Hometown Huddle event, presented by American Family Insurance, which brings the full roster, coaches and additional staff together for a day of service.

"I think it's always important to do that," Falcons receiver Olamide Zaccheaus said. "Especially knowing how I grew up, just the availability, the resources, it was kind of hard for my family. So, being able to take that off whatever groups we're sending this to is very important."

On September 24, the Atlanta Falcons Youth Fund, an associate-led fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, announced a $200,000 grant to Good Sports and a $50,000 grant to the Georgia Recreation and Park Association.

The first year of the two-year grant to Good Sports, which was founded in 2003 to support kids in communities of need, will provide brand-new equipment to 23 parks and recreation departments. The donation is estimated to benefit approximately 13,000 kids with a specific focus on elementary-aged youth and high-need organizations.

"The Atlanta Falcons Youth Fund's guiding theme is to provide access to sports for youth across Georgia," said Lauren Litwack, who serves on the youth fund's leadership council. "Good Sports has been a great partner for us. We love teaming up with them to provide equipment to parks and rec agencies, schools, really whoever needs access to equipment."

The Falcons and Good Sports first began their partnership in 2008. Since then, Melissa Harper, the co-founder and CEO of Good Sports, estimates that they have donated $2.6 million worth of equipment to more than 200,000 locations in Georgia.

Together, their work has expanded beyond the city of Atlanta with an intentional focus on partnering with various sports organizations and agencies across the state to increase participation youth sports and provide access to necessary resources.

"Since Day 1, [the Atlanta Falcons Youth Fund] has been focused on making sure that their reach to give kids access to play is not just in Greater Atlanta," Harper said. "We've been working with them to really impact kids statewide, and that's where you see the greatest impact. Some of the highest poverty communities across the state of Georgia know that the Falcons care about them."

The Falcons were joined Tuesday by members of the Flowery Branch High School and Cherokee Bluff High School football teams, located near their practice facility. The assembled kits included items specifically requested by various parks and recreation agencies, allowing for more children to participate safely in sports.

"Parks and rec in the state of Georgia is where a majority of kids get the first opportunity to get into youth sports," said Steve Card, the executive director of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association. "So local parks and rec, across the state, make sure they have many things set up.

"In our partnership with the [Atlanta Falcons Youth Fund], we're able to supply almost 40 agencies scholarship opportunities to make sure that is not a barrier for any kid not to play. The other thing that they offer is to make sure that there is a safe environment. That's not just the playing field that they play on, that's also the equipment."

During Hometown Huddle, players from the Falcons and Flowery Branch High School split into various groups and were provided a box to fill at various stations located around the team's indoor practice facility. After adding all of the necessary items in each box, the groups then signed a personalized card for each recipient organization and took a Polaroid photo to include inside.

"I think it's amazing when you can affect a large community like this," Falcons safety Sydney Brown said. "It just opens your eyes. It doesn't matter if they pick it up for the first time, pick it up for however many times they can; it opens up new horizons. It just inspires the youth for a new future."

Each box delivered represents an opportunity for a child in the state to participate in a youth sports program who previously may have been unable to do so. The equipment provided, coupled with the larger grants and investments in state associations, promotes the shared commitment by the team, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the Atlanta Falcons Youth Fund, the team and the participating organizations such as Good Sports to expand youth sports access across the state.