Why former Tennessee basketball guard Jahmai Mashack was back in Knoxville
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Former Tennessee basketball guard Jahmai Mashack doesn't get many days off, especially as the start of his second NBA season with the Memphis Grizzlies approaches. But he chose to spend one of his rare free weekends in Knoxville, volunteering for the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee.
Mashack spent Aug. 29 following the food donation process work in its entirety. He handed out fresh food to local families and signed autographs and took pictures with fans in the morning. Then he traveled to a farm partnered with Second Harvest to help produce the food that goes to those facing hunger in Tennessee.
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"Hunger doesn't really have a face, but it can be somebody that's your neighbor, it can be somebody that you know, it can be somebody's children that you know," Mashack said. "And I think learning this process and learning how (Second Harvest goes) about things was important for me."
Mashack was a three-year starter for the Vols who was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2025.
He spent the morning at Ladies of Charity, an organization located in north Knoxville that donates food, personal care items and other supplies. Alongside more than 20 volunteers, Mashack handed out fresh produce like corn, tomatoes and watermelon from local farms, then went to Hickory Corner Farm in Speedwell, Tennessee.
He learned about Second Harvest's "Harvesting Hope" program, which supports farmers in East Tennessee by buying directly from them and distributing it to hungry people in the community. Harvesting Hope draws from more than 50 farms across 18 Tennessee counties.
"I'm ready to see it, see how it all works out," Mashack said. "I think for me, I was interested in the whole process behind it and what goes into everything like this. And honestly, it's a chance to learn something new, so I'm excited for that."
Charity has been a part of Mashack's life since he was growing up in southern California. Mashack remembers the Christmas mornings when his mother, Meika, would bring the family out to help feed people in their community.
Shortly after he arrived at UT in 2021, Mashack began donating his money to Second Harvest. He preferred to keep his charity work quiet, but Second Harvest CEO Rachael Ellis wanted him out in Knoxville, meeting the people he was helping.
"Jahmai is so kind, so generous. He's also extremely humble. And it took a while for me to get him to come out and let people see that he is that generous," she told Knox News.
Mashack visited the Second Harvest facility in Maryville for the first time in 2022 and ever since, he's helped in events that serve Second Harvests' mission of addressing food insecurity in East Tennessee.
"It's a different experience when you are in there passing it out to people, when you're meeting the people that are wanting for these supplies ... and you're getting to know their personalities, you're seeing these smiles. I think it impacts you in a different way," Mashack said. "For me personally, I feel like it was important for me to be out here."
Mashack also took photos relived his career at UT with Vols fans.
Mashack is on a two-way contract with the Grizzlies and battling to make the NBA roster full-time.
"I don't see it as a transaction of just four years. It's for a lifetime," Mashack said. "And I think it's important for me to give back to the team, get back to the community and honestly, just give back to the relationships that I built."
Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @stephenethom.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why former Tennessee basketball guard Jahmai Mashack was back in Knoxville