Food Security

September 1, 2022 1 0 0

According to the USDA, more than 38 million people in the U.S. suffer from food insecurity. While every community has families who face hunger, rural communities are disproportionately impacted. Those who don’t qualify for federal nutrition programs turn to local food banks and pantry programs for support. Below is a list of organizations serving communities that face food insecurity and joblessness through pantry programs and farmers markets that provide access to fresh, accessible, and affordable food. Utilize the factsheets on food safety and other resources to advocate for and direct community members facing food insecurity to seek assistance.

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Legislative Committees

House Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs

This committee hears legislation that impacts Georgia’s largest economic industry, Agriculture. Other areas of concern are human nutrition, consumer consumption of food and its safety aspects, and plant industry.

Senate Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs

This committee has general jurisdiction over agricultural land use, commodities, commissions, fairs and expositions, marketing and consumer protection issues, pest management, and the use of
pesticides. This committee may also review legislation related to consumer protection.

View Food Security Organizations:

International

National

Statewide

View Organizations by region:

Metro Atlanta

Georgia Mountains

Middle Georgia

Central Savannah River Area

Coastal Georgia

Northeast

River Valley

I

International

Action Against Hunger
Works in communities to create a better way to deal with hunger and malnutrition, access to clean water, and avoid killer diseases. It is committed to research, partnerships, and education to improve policy and practice. The organization screens and treats children for undernutrition, builds the capacity of local health systems to treat undernutrition, trains and builds the capacity of the production for small-scale farmers, and provides cash transfers or cash-for-work programs to help families in humanitarian emergencies.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Leads international efforts to defeat hunger as a specialized agency of the United Nations

N

National

Alliance to Repair the American Diet
Provides educational materials and events on the benefits of a plant-based diet.

American Community Gardening Association
Focuses on increasing and enhancing community gardening and greening across the United States and Canada.

Chef Ann Foundation
Works with public and private schools in all 50 states to provide school districts with grant funds, salad bars, assessment, professional development, and free tools and resources to give kids access to healthy foods.

Feeding America
Gets nourishing food (from farmers, manufacturers, and retailers) and brings that food to people in need, partially through mobile food pantries. It is the largest food rescue organization in the country.

Food Security for America
Provides tools and skills to nonprofits to create groups within their communities to equip people and families in need of food security. The organization stresses that food insecurity differs from hunger.

Slow Food USA
Works to end the lack of access to nutritious foods which disproportionately affects BIPOC, low-income communities, and women. The organization cultivates nationwide programs, hosts educational events, and advocates.

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
This organization offers farmer-driven, grassroots grants and education programs for sustainable agriculture.

S

Statewide

Common Market Southeast
Distributes sustainable, local farm foods, connecting institutions and communities with good food from local partners. The organization provides specific grower information when someone places and receives an order.

Concrete Jungle Inc
Transforms overlooked and underutilized fruit trees and land into a healthy food source for communities in need.

Feeding Georgia Families
Combats food insecurity with the help of farmers, grocery stores, businesses, and volunteers. It provides cooked community meals and hosts two weekly food pantries for those in need. It also offers housing assistance and social services.

Georgia Coalition for Physical Activity and Nutrition (GPAN Coalition)
Brings together state entities, educators, and business leaders to provide nutrition education for low-income children and to combat obesity through research, policy advocacy, and improving physical activity in school settings.

Georgia Food Bank Association
Composed of seven regional Feeding America food banks and maximizes their impact by collaborating on strategic initiatives, advocating on their behalf, and coordinating statewide efforts.

Georgia Food Oasis
A project of Georgia Organics, this network of towns and cities recognizes local food coalitions working to improve access, supply, and consumption of healthy local food.

Georgia Gives
Raises money for nonprofits and connects citizens to nonprofits.

Georgia Organics
Invests in organic farmers and encourages access to healthy foods through programs Farmer Services, Farm to Restaurant, Farm to School, and Georgia Food Oasis.

Giving Kitchen
Provides emergency assistance to Georgia-based food service workers through financial support and community resources.

Harold Gerlitsch Feed the Needy Fund, Inc
Supports smaller capital nonprofits throughout Georgia with finance, goods, service donations and media exposure. It also buys and distributes food products to the communities where the food is most needed.

Wholesome Wave Georgia
Facilitates access to and awareness of healthy food choices for all Georgians in need through local farmers and community partners. At their farmers markets, they accept SNAP dollar for dollar.

M

Metro Atlanta

Atlanta Community Food Bank
Member of Georgia Food Bank Association.

Atlanta Inner-City Ministry
Distributes food on Thursdays to homeless community members.

#ATL Family Meal

Collection of restaurants, food service businesses, community leaders and creatives working to support the community experiencing food insecurity and joblessness in Metro Atlanta. It focuses on supporting hospitality workers.

Canstruction Atlanta
Hosts competitions, exhibitions, and events showcasing colossal structures made from full cans of food. The creations go on display for the public as a giant art exhibit. After the event, all food is donated to local hunger relief organizations.

City on a Hill Food Ministry
Food pantry Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings, plus a monthly “Outreach Day” where guests can receive food, prayer, and ministry.

Cumming Baptist Food Pantry
Open every Monday, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Cumming First United Methodist Church
Open Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. There are no income requirements, and families may receive a full bag of groceries only once per calendar month, plus may come and pick up bread products each week.

Feeding the Five Thousand Food Pantry
Assembles bags that will feed a family of four for a full week and delivers the bags on Saturdays to specific families located through contacts in the school system.

Food Security Safeguard Program
Assists any Emory University undergraduate or graduate student with an immediate food security need on the Atlanta campus.

Food Well Alliance Inc
Network of local leaders working together to build thriving community gardens and urban farms across metro Atlanta, and to provide resources and support to local growers.

Freedom Farmers Market
Located at the Carter Center and running each Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., this farmer’s market brings local, sustainably grown food to intown Atlanta neighborhoods. It also partners with Wholesome Wave Georgia in the Georgia Fresh 4 Less program, which lets it double the SNAP dollars its shoppers spend.

Gilliam’s Community Garden & Mobile Farmer’s Market
Nourishes communities across Metro Atlanta with fresh, accessible, affordable locally grown food. It also provides hands-on educational experiences for students.

Hands on Atlanta
In partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank, supports 50 partner agencies to help get more food to families in need.

Helping Hands Partners Limited
Nonprofit thrift store that helps unfortunate individuals, families, and elderly living in Forsyth County through income derived from the thrift store. It provides financial help for food, clothing, rent, and energy bills. Has a partnership with Ninth District Opportunity to help qualify applicants to ensure funds are properly distributed to those in a real crisis.

Hightower Baptist Association Food and Clothing Bank
Offers food and clothing to those in need on the second Saturday of each month.

HOPE Atlanta
Provides holistic, individualized approaches to clients’ immediate needs (like homelessness and hunger) while working towards self-sufficiency and lifelong stability.

Marcus E & Sharon B Gunter Foundation (MSG Foundation)
Has 10 sites which working to fight food insecurities. The main program, Food 4 the Hungry, is a supplemental grocery program operating on the third Saturday of each month at Otwell Middle School cafeteria from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. In addition, Boxes of Love supplements children with a breakfast, lunch, and snack when on school break.

Meals on Wheels Atlanta
Makes nutritious meals and delivers them to local seniors. It also helps seniors with home repairs programs, pet food supplies, and an emergency food pantry.

My Friends and Me
Works with six schools and organization across the Greater Atlanta Area to give families unprepared groceries each Thanksgiving.

Never Alone Pantry
Provides food to those in need.

Open Hand Atlanta
Empowers clients with tools and knowledge to better manage their health and assist healthcare providers in early identification and treatment of many nutrition-sensitive illnesses. It also provides individualized prepared meals (and snacks or supplements) to low-income people dealing with a chronic disease, homebound seniors, and disabled individuals.

Panthers Pantry
Provides food, hygiene products, and additional supplies to the Georgia State University community to alleviate stress associated with short-term food insecurity to effectively reduce hunger and support educational success.

Red Oak Community Outreach Services
Provides food and clothing for those in need.

Second Helpings Atlanta
Strives to reduce hunger and food waste in Metro Atlanta by rescuing healthy, nutritious surplus food and distributing it to those in need. Each week, it also delivers prepared meals to individual and families in need. St. Joseph’s Food Pantry of St. Brendan’s Catholic Church Operates Wednesdays 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The Giving Kitchen
Run by for-profit restaurant Staplehouse and Giving Kitchen, this soup kitchen offers free meals to out-of-work service industry people.

The LEE Initiative
Dedicated to empowering those in the restaurant industry. Through its “Restaurant Workers Relief Program,” the Initiative empowers its partner restaurants to provide food, groceries, and necessary household items to those who otherwise could not afford it.

The Zadie Project
Works to combat food insecurity for families and seniors in Atlanta by (1) making nutritious soups to distribute the soups to individuals and families in need and educating the community on the possibilities of urban gardening and on the importance of making healthy food choices all year long.

Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture (TLW)
Seeks to use food to bridge diverse cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. The Center has programs and activities on agriculture training, nutrition, education, and job creation. It also harvests fresh foods throughout the year and earmarks much of the harvests for low-income members of the community who otherwise would not be able to afford it.

Urban Recipe
Focuses on forming food cooperatives for low-income families and creating food security in a way that affirms dignity and comfort.

We Love Buford Highway
Dedicated to preserving the multicultural identity of Buford Highway by curating culturally centric food boxes, picking distribution sites in locations convenient to communities, and providing resources for the community.

M

Middle Georgia

Middle Georgia Community Food Bank
Member of Georgia Food Bank Association.

GA

Georgia Mountains

Dawson Community Food Bank & Thrift Store
Offers pre-ordered and emergency bag pick-ups and a food drive (by application) to eligible recipients.

Georgia Mountain Food Bank
Addresses hunger, health, and quality of life by serving those in need. It links food supplies with community-based partner agencies who bring the food to families and individuals in need.

War Hill Ministries
Dedicated to making sure families have food on the table and provides supplies to communities struck by national disaster. It offers the “Grocery Garage,” which offers low-cost groceries for the local community. Any profits are reinvested to help fund the Food Pantry and disaster relief services.