Volunteers Feed 1000+ Players at Nike Peach Jam for 30 Years

For 30 years, volunteers in North Augusta, South Carolina have been making sandwiches for basketball's next generation of stars.

During the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, one of the country's most prestigious high school basketball tournaments, volunteers from TrueNorth Church and First Baptist Church spend an entire week feeding players and coaches. They prepare everything from peanut butter sandwiches to vegetarian wraps, serving meals in designated hospitality areas throughout the tournament.

Mike Chavous has led the hospitality effort since day one. Under his guidance, volunteers create special sandwiches featuring egg salad, tuna salad, ham, and the classic PB&J that players request year after year.

The tournament brings the best high school basketball talent from across the United States and Canada to North Augusta each July. It's the final stop of Nike's summer basketball circuit, drawing NCAA coaches scouting future college athletes.

But what makes North Augusta different is the welcome these young athletes receive. "You just meet so many nice people, not just from North Augusta, but from all over the United States and Canada," said North Augusta City Councilwoman Pat Carpenter, who volunteers making sandwiches. "It is just a happy experience in doing this."

Mary Spivey from TrueNorth Church has volunteered for nine years. Her family now schedules their annual vacation around the tournament so they can serve together.

"It's kind of wonderful to show the love of Jesus through a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a brownie," Spivey said. She remembers serving Cooper Flagg, now an NBA player, when he was just another hungry teenager playing basketball.

Tim Key, another TrueNorth volunteer, calls Peach Jam North Augusta's biggest event after the Masters Tournament. He sees the volunteer work as living out his faith in action.

Sunny's Take

Beyond the sandwiches and chips, these volunteers offer something basketball can't teach: that strangers care enough to spend their vacation making you feel welcome. Some of these young athletes have never seen a fresh peach or experienced small-town Southern hospitality. For one week each summer, North Augusta shows them both.

The tournament continues to draw top talent year after year, but the volunteers keep coming back for something simpler: the joy of feeding hungry teenagers and watching future stars say thank you for a sandwich made with care.

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