By Michael Silver, on July 23, 2014

Summer league basketball is well under way and I have enjoyed watching friends and players improve their games on the court. Living in Winston-Salem, I can’t help but be a Wake Forest supporter. They have a great group of players that makes them easy to root for. Aaron Roundtree is a player from Wake that routinely plays with kids in the crowd, including mine, and will talk with anyone that talks with him. It seems small, but Roundtree’s acts of kindness have made him a fan favorite of locals in the city of arts and innovation.

After leaving the games last night and remembering that I have a blog post to write, I thought about writing about a nonprofit group I am involved with. Grill Team VI is composed of seven attorneys and a few friends. Our mission statement, although not formal, is “to provide free food to nonprofit organizations during athletic events to decrease their food budget.” In short, we grill out and provide food for participants in nonprofit bike races and runs.

As a founding member of Grill Team VI, I was part of the purchase of the huge smoker that requires a license plate. We reach out to nonprofits that are holding bike or 5K races and ask if we can provide the food so they can save money. So far, we have a 100% acceptance rate. What do we cook? Briskets, ribs, steaks, pork, brats, hamburgers, hot dogs, fixin’s, and we provide drinks. Our goal is to provide a quality a product and let the nonprofit use the money they would have spent on food on other needs. Also, by providing premium food, we hope the participants of the event spread the word that their registration fee gets them way more than a workout and a tee-shirt.

Some have argued that we are providing a service to people that don’t need it. It’s true, many of the people who participate in races can afford their own meal. But, it’s not about them. It’s our way of saving the nonprofit money. Many of the people that participate in these runs are not directly benefiting from the nonprofit’s services, but giving money (in the form of registration fees) to help the nonprofit raise money for the audience they serve.

From Roundtree’s interaction with the kids to grilling for the nonprofits, there are many ways people can give back to their community. As silly as Grill Team VI sounds, it’s good to think outside the box and do things you enjoy and give back to your local community.