Russell Wilson and Ciara Wilson put $500,000 behind Atlanta families facing food insecurity on Dec. 23, 2025. The donation came through their Why Not You Foundation and supported the Atlanta Community Food Bank and ATL Cares.The gift was expected to help provide more than 1 million meals across metro Atlanta. It also marked the first $500,000 installment of a larger $2 million commitment from Ciara to combat food insecurity.
Russell Wilson and Ciara put $500,000 behind more than 1 million meals in Atlanta
Ciara announced the donation at Saint Peter Missionary Baptist Church in southwest Atlanta alongside Mayor Andre Dickens on December 23. The Atlanta native returned to her hometown with a simple message about why the issue could not wait.“One in six children goes to bed hungry, and that has to change,” Ciara said at the event. She explained that the couple wanted the donation to provide more than food.“Our hope is that the gift of nourishment and security will empower more youth and families across Atlanta to reach for their dreams and lead each day with the ‘Why Not You’ attitude,” she added.The money went toward two local food-access efforts. The Atlanta Community Food Bank received most of the funding, while ATL Cares supports emergency food distribution in southwest Atlanta neighborhoods. Kyle Waide, the food bank’s president and CEO, said the contribution could provide more than 1 million meals across metro Atlanta.Mayor Dickens also pointed to what that figure means beyond the headline number.“This donation means more meals and dinner and food for people that wouldn’t otherwise be able to eat without it,” Dickens said at the December 23 event. “And it means families get a little breathing room during this time of year when it can be stressful and finances can be strapped.”For Russell Wilson and Ciara, Atlanta was not an isolated charitable stop. The couple had already built the Why Not You Foundation around education, children’s health and poverty relief.
The Atlanta donation was only one part of Russell Wilson and Ciara’s bigger giving effort
On November 25, 2025, the Why Not You Foundation announced a $3 million commitment to Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital in New York. The money will support therapeutic and creative spaces for young patients, including improvements to the child-only common area known as “The Zone.”Wilson’s connection to the hospital goes beyond writing a check. He has visited young patients regularly, drawing from his own family experience.“My dad was unfortunately always in the hospital, he had diabetes, and my mom was an ER nurse,” Wilson said during a December 2025 Good Morning America interview. “For me, I thought, like, ‘How can I make a difference somewhere?’”He also explained what he hopes those visits give the children.“I want [the kids] to be inspired,” Wilson said on Good Morning America. “And I want them to take their mind a little bit off of the pain they’re going through.”Then came the line that puts his charitable work in perspective.“It’s probably been the greatest thing I’ve been able to do in my career so far,” Wilson said. “It’s better than any touchdown or any trophy.”That sentiment connects the hospital work with the Atlanta donation. The football career may define Russell Wilson on the field, but through the Why Not You Foundation, he and Ciara have continued putting their success toward something that reaches families long after the final whistle.