Griffin, an NIL athlete, has found a way to give back and fight hunger while being a college student-athlete.

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is fortunate to have sponsors, partners, donors and volunteers who make it possible to provide food assistance to an average of hundreds of thousands of individuals each week.

Chase Griffin grew up in Hutto, Texas, in the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan area. He became a football prodigy as early as 13 years old, but even then, he knew he wanted to give back to his community. When he enrolled in UCLA in 2019 and became the starting quarterback, that desire to give back remained. When Griffin became a NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) athlete, he didn’t waste time finding opportunities to tie his values and sponsors with giving back. Fortunately, fighting hunger became his main priority, and the LA Regional Food Bank became his charity of choice.

“I grew up serving at the Round Rock Serving Center back home outside of Austin, Texas, and I saw the impact that food bank, and that food pantry had on the community, and I wanted to find a way to have a similar impact in a larger community, in a larger city,” Griffin said. “I also went to a high school that was Title I. A lot of my classmates and best friends relied on the school for lunch meals in the morning and the fact that y’all have the LAUSD Backpack Program, where you provide meals to LAUSD school children on the weekends, it just showcased that the people who helped me get to UCLA are really everywhere. And for me to be able to utilize my platform to help alleviate those issues is a blessing for me.”

“Chase’s dedication to our mission has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Michael Flood, President and CEO of the Food Bank. “His support has empowered the Food Bank to reach more neighbors who need food assistance, and his hands-on volunteering demonstrates a deep, personal commitment to fighting hunger in our community. He’s a partner in our work to ensure that no one goes hungry in Los Angeles County.”

Because of his efforts in fighting hunger in Los Angeles County, and his philanthropic work, Griffin was recently named to the Allstate Good Works Team and, as of October 2024, a semifinalist for the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, an award issued to those who best combine exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field. 

“I look forward to progressing that,” Griffin said. “I think this award is a great validation, but more importantly, the best validation is seeing the work that I’ve done or seeing my contributions actually help the youth of Los Angeles. If I’m able to utilize my platform to even just help one person feel inspired, you never know what action might save somebody’s life.”

The Food Bank greatly appreciates Chase’s support in the fight against hunger in Los Angeles County and congratulates him on being honored with such prestigious awards. To learn more about how you can get involved, please visit our Volunteer page or donate today.