Cobb County Sheriff's Office deputies spent Sept. 1 sorting and packing food alongside five other metro Atlanta law enforcement agencies at the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

The daylong volunteer effort, called Food Force, produced 32,525 pounds of processed food. That equals 27,104 meals for families across the food bank's 29-county service area, according to the Cobb County Sheriff's Office.

The Cobb County Police Department, Austell Police Department, MARTA Police Department, Brookhaven Police Department and Dunwoody Police Department all sent volunteers alongside the Sheriff's Office.

Inside the food bank's Hunger Action Center, officers sorted and organized food bound for the bank's network of partner organizations. They also packed food boxes for home delivery to people unable to visit a pantry in person. The Hunger Action Center accounted for 26,334 pounds of the total. Another 6,191 pounds moved through the Community Food Center.

Sgt. Church of the Cobb County Sheriff's Office and other volunteers loaded prepared food boxes into an Amazon delivery vehicle at the end of the shift. David Jones, the Sheriff's Office chief of staff, and members of the agency's Community Engagement Unit also took part.

The work went beyond the warehouse floor.

Five of the six agencies competed in a three-week fundraising drive leading up to the event. Together they raised $3,426, which the food bank said helped provide more than 10,000 meals.

The Sheriff's Office said food insecurity directly affects the families law enforcement serves, and that the combined effort shows agencies can work together beyond their traditional public safety roles.

Atlanta Community Food Bank representative Alysa Gualdoni reviewed the day's results with participants after the work wrapped up. The food bank serves a region where more than 525,000 Georgians face food insecurity, including one in nine neighbors and one in six children.

Residents interested in volunteering at the Atlanta Community Food Bank can visit acfb.org or email [email protected].