When Lorenzo Carter approached his sister with a small favor, there was no hesitation in her response.
Of course their Lucky Charm Family Farm would help Atlanta Falcons teammate James Smith-Williams with his dinner event at the Family Promise of Hall County center in Oakwood, Georgia, in support of domestic violence survivors. In fact, they'd provide all the food. Not just the meat, as requested.
"It's only right," said London Whitaker, the farm's general manager. "That's what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to give back. We're blessed beyond measure. God put us in position to give back, so it's our responsibility to do that."
The hesitation, or rather the nerves, came later.
Whitaker volunteered to create an entire farm-to-table spread, with everything locally raised, produced or grown. She regularly cooks for her family and owns her own talents in the kitchen, so this task should have been no problem. However, with those she knows intimately, she doesn't mind, say, slightly burning a meal. If anything, she can quickly remake a plate.
Well, the event Monday, Oct. 14, required service for more than 100 guests. Everything needed to be prepared in advance and delivered on time. Her abilities would be tested.
"I was so upset in the car," Whitaker said. "I put so much pressure on myself. I'm like, 'Oh, man, it has to be perfect.' But then, I realized there is beauty in imperfection. It doesn't have to be perfect. It came from the heart."
Because, again, these weren't just any guests. They were children and parents — families — who had endured and overcome tough times. Whitaker, Carter and Smith-Williams wanted to treat them.
As did other teammates, once they found out. Justin Simmons, Matthew Judon, JD Bertrand, Khalid Kareem and Elijah Wilkinson all showed up to lend a hand, less than 24 hours after the Falcons returned from their Week 6 road win. They spent the night serving others, never once sitting down, themselves, for longer than an autograph or photograph.
"Everybody doesn't have the chance to go out and eat a nice meal, like have their dinner brought to the table by a waiter and then picked up," Carter said. "Everybody just doesn't have that opportunity. So, for us to be able to come here and do that for them, even though it might seem small, it's super huge. You never know how that can impact their day, their week, even their whole life."
This was Carter's first time assisting at the Family Promise center.
Smith-Williams, meanwhile, has been working with Family Promise since he joined the Falcons in the offseason. He found the center through a nonprofit organization called Set The Expectation and now visits at least twice a month, normally for things like pizza and movie nights. Falcons cheerleaders and Freddie the Falcon have accompanied Smith-Williams before. Monday, though, was a record for players.
"It's awesome, I think, for the children to be able to meet the people behind the helmets and see positive role models," Smith-Williams said. "That's what it's all about, right? Because where these kids are coming from, it's important for them to see men, especially Black men but men in general, that are actually positive and actually aren't trying to cause them harm, that are friendly, kind, caring, just want to give back and want to help. There's nothing sinister behind them.
"That's really important in a child's development. So, it's a blessing to kind of be that figure for these kids."
Those kids played, laughed and appeared to really enjoy themselves Monday, as the adults watched on or chased after them with smiles glued to their faces.
Smith-Williams admitted he has never personally experienced domestic violence. That didn't stop him from adopting the cause in 2017 as a redshirt junior at North Carolina State University when Brenda Tracy, an activist and rape survivor, spoke to the team. She's the founder of Set The Expectation, which is dedicated to ending sexual and interpersonal violence through prevention.
"The message I took away was: If you're a good man, you say you're a good man, then what are you doing to help this cause?" Smith-Williams said. "That was it for me."
Seven years later, it's still one of the main causes Smith-Williams actively supports. He also aids a homeless shelter in Atlanta.
"You never know people's stories," he said. "There might be something happening there."
No stories were publicly shared Monday. At least none that would provoke sadness. It was a break from reality for those in attendance.
So as her brother and his teammates dished out plates of her 100% grass-fed beef burgers and homemade shepherd's pie, paired with braised carrots, broccoli and green beans, among other sides, Whitaker finally relaxed as sounds of joy echoed around the Family Promise center. Ideas for the Lucky Charm Family Farm's next joint dinner event with Smith-Williams, which was indeed already talked about for hopefully next month, began to swirl; it'll be bigger and better. There will surely be nerves again, but in a good way.
"I know sometimes, with things that we have going on in life, food is comforting," Whitaker said. "Food can make you feel better. So, that's why I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure, 'Hey, even if you had a bad day, week, month or year, today, I'm going to feed you and you're going to enjoy it. It'll become a good day.'"
