Georgia Magazine - August 2017 - 21

Every dollar donated to regional food
banks and their partner agencies will put
four meals back into the community.
greater variety of fresh produce.
"We are proud to have worked
with some of our friends in the
industry, like the Georgia Farm Bureau, to highlight this need and opportunity to the farming community,"
says Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black. "And now to
know that over 10 million pounds of
produce was donated to food banks
last year-nutritious food that would
have otherwise been wasted-just
goes to show the high level of enthusiasm this program has attracted
over the last few years."

You can make a difference
Even though the GFBA focuses
heavily on coordinating organizational involvement in hunger relief, Craft
says there is still plenty of opportunity for individuals to get involved.
For example, hunters can donate
venison to Georgia Hunters for the
Hungry, a joint program with the
Georgia Wildlife Association, which
processes the meat into 1- and

2-pound tubes of ground
venison. That has translated
into 30,000 pounds of meat to
complement the food banks'
available fresh produce.
More than 2,000 "open" summer meal sites, funded
"The venison is very
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, operate in
popular with agencies," Craft
Georgia, thanks to community partners such as food
says. "In fact, it rarely stays in banks, school systems, churches and nonprofits.
the food banks overnight. The "Open" sites do not require reservations; children age
18 and younger can just show up and eat!
kids love it."
The GFBA website,
georgiafoodbankassociation.com,
And while the statistics and
has a "Find Your Food Bank" link to
scale of need are sobering, Craft
direct donors to local banks. Each or- says, they are also compelling.
ganization has its own way to engage
"These efforts allow us to bring
volunteers and is happy to accept
nutritious support to children, and
donations of food, time or money.
we know it makes a difference to
"Most of them can put $8 to $10 their future and to us as a state."
worth of food into the community
Rosalyn Dunn is a freelance
for every dollar donated," Craft says.
writer living in Atlanta.
"With bulk purchasing, they can
leverage with their donations and
For a map showing the service
make dollars go a long, long way."
areas of Georgia's regional
Put another way, every dollar
food banks, see page 21A of this
web exclusive
web exclusive
donated to regional food banks and
month's digital edition, online
their partner agencies will put four
at georgiamagazine.org.
meals back into the community.

Georgia Food Bank Association members
Chattanooga Area Food Bank, Northwest Georgia Branch:
Provides after-school and summer meals to children, feeds senior
citizens and operates mobile food pantries. 1111 S. Hamilton St.,
Dalton. chattfoodbank.org. (706) 508-8591.
Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB): Advocacy and education efforts include Kids in Need, a store that helps teachers give
students free school supplies. Five counties in the ACFB's area are
jointly served by the ACFB and the Georgia Mountain Food Bank.
732 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd. N.W., Atlanta. acfb.org. (404) 892-9822.
Food Bank of Northeast Georgia: Provides food for children
after school and on weekends and vouchers for food aid to their
families. 861 Newton Bridge Road, Athens. foodbanknega.org.
(706) 354-8191.
Feeding the Valley Food Bank: Operates a mobile pantry and
provides food for seniors and meals and backpacks of food for

August 2017

children. 5928 Coca-Cola Blvd., Columbus. feedingthevalley.
org. (706) 561-4755.
Middle Georgia Community Food Bank: Distributes
groceries to seniors, operates a mobile food pantry and
provides after-school and summer meals for children. 4490
Ocmulgee East Blvd., Macon. mgcfb.org. (478) 742-3958.
Golden Harvest Food Bank: Outreach includes mobile
pantries, food for seniors, backpacks of food for children
and the Master's Table Soup Kitchen. 3310 Commerce Drive,
Augusta. goldenharvest.org. (706) 736-1199.
America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia: Feeds
children after school and in the summer, provides meals for
seniors and operates a mobile food pantry. 2501 E. President
St., Savannah. helpendhunger.org. (912) 236-6750.

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

http://www.georgiafoodbankassociation.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://feedingthevalley.org http://feedingthevalley.org http://www.chattfoodbank.org http://www.mgcfb.org http://www.acfb.org http://www.goldenharvest.org http://www.foodbanknega.org http://www.helpendhunger.org http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - August 2017