Wholesome Wave Georgia (WWG)

Did you know that one of Wholesome Wave Georgia’s core values is collaboration? It is very important to us to understand that we depend on each other and our community to fight food insecurity and support local agriculture in Georgia. As identified in the article “Setting the Table For Rural Food Access,” published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, “The dominant strategy for addressing gaps in food access in the U.S. is a corporate food regime that relies on charity-oriented food banks and pantries to distribute free food to recipients who have limited agency within the process…In contrast, initiatives that employ a community-engaged approach offer greater potential to target intersecting barriers and bring about transformative change.” We are happy to report that the lead author of this paper is our Program Director, Abigail Darwin, who ensures that our work is done in collaboration with the communities we serve. https://lnkd.in/eji7mj9K

The position would work closely with the WWG Food for Health team to run a CDC Diabetes?Prevention Program at St. Mary's Hospital that incorporates Produce Prescriptions alongside curriculum?education. The position is local to Athens, Georgia. This is a very exciting opportunity?to work in the Food is Medicine movement!?

With the looming possibility of further increases in grocery prices, Albany’s WALB recently published an article advising the best way to stretch SNAP benefits to feed a family. While much of the article directed shoppers to focus on buying staples and dry goods because of their longer shelf lives and only buying fresh produce once a week, Valkyrie Anderson, Executive Director of Houston County Family Connection stated “usually you go to the farmers market, and it ends up being more expensive. But with these programs like Wholesome Wave of Georgia, you can shop locally and support local farmers because in the end, you aren’t spending more than you would at the grocery store.”

We are overcome with gratitude for Atlanta Mayor, Andre Dickens, and Invest Atlanta for the huge vote of confidence in Wholesome Wave Georgia, and our implementation partner, Retaaza! Invest Atlanta approved a $448,000 Atlanta Food Access Catalyst Grant to establish two new neighborhood markets on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and Henry Thomas Drive. These markets will be run by Retaaza twice a week for four hours a day and will serve as SNAP doubling locations in partnership with Wholesome Wave Georgia's Fresh for Less program. Retaaza, a woman and minority owned B Corp, operates as a hyper local food distributor who also buys farmers' surplus food, preventing it from being landfilled and assisting our diverse group of local farmers by creating new market opportunities for their food. Thank you so much to our teammates, Abigail Darwin and Ashley Addison, for helping to bring this allocation across the finish line to make fresh, healthy, locally grown foods affordable and available for Atlanta families.

Wholesome Wave Georgia was thrilled to be a part of the very first SOWTH Conference, A Regional Small Farms, Big Community Conference, in Atlanta last week and hosted by our friends at Georgia Organics. Super proud of our OUTSTANDING community leader, Ms. Johnnie Thomas! From Peer Champion to thought leader and speaker on the impact of our Produce Prescription program, Ms. Johnnie leads with heart and speaks from life experience. Ms. Johnnie and Abigail Darwin, our Director of Programs, were both on fire during Thursday's panel, “Insights on Produce Prescription Programs From Farmers, Healthcare Organizations, and Patients.” On Friday, we were also super PROUD of our teammate and friend, Isaac Arriaga, for sharing how data informs, shapes, and enhances impact on the panel, Measuring Success: Keeping Track of Impact," at the SOWTH conference last week.

Wholesome Wave Georgia will add a Food for Health program based out of St. Mary's hospital in Athens this year. This position will facilitate the success of this program. If you or someone you know would be a good fit, please consider applying.

Our Director of Programs, Abigail Darwin, was recently among a group of scholars from University of Georgia to publish an amazing article that takes a deep dive into community driven food security efforts in Appalachia and the Deep South. The article explores the Charity Model, the Support Model, the Restructure Model, and the Market Model, identifying their positive impacts and the challenges they have faced. This research is just one of the reasons why Abigail is such a treasured member of our team at Wholesome Wave Georgia. We love you, Abigail!! To read the full article, "Setting the table for rural food access: Models from Appalachia and the Deep South," published in Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, visit the link below. https://lnkd.in/exzrDS8V

Shout out to our 2024 Carrot Crusader, Anne Quatrano! Everything Anne touches turns to gold and we expect nothing less from her upcoming venture, Summerland. We have been blessed with Anne's unwavering support since our beginnings and we are eternally grateful. Check out this exclusive interview with her in Atlanta Magazine. We can't wait to sample the offerings.

Are you one of our farm partners and want to understand how to expand your engagement with Wholesome Wave Georgia’s Fresh for Less program? Are you a new market manager and want to understand how your market’s utilization of Fresh for Less stacks up next to other participating markets? Do you love being a part of our Fresh for Less network and want to celebrate everything we do with other partners? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, register now for the Fresh For Less 2025 Network Gathering on March 10th at West End Wild Heaven Beer. We look forward to learning and growing with you. https://lnkd.in/e6Xj9D2P

Our friends at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia are looking for a bilingual Food Access Coordinator. Working with Erin and Chris would be a win for anyone interested in food access. These are strange times and this is a way that you can help make things better for those affected most.