Nearly $1 Million Awarded Under Georgia Farm to Food Bank Program

ATLANTA — Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper announced that the Georgia Farm to Food Bank Program, a partnership between the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia Grown, and Feeding Georgia, has awarded $825,000 to eight regional food banks across the state. The funding will help food banks provide fresh produce and protein to more than 430,000 Georgians facing food insecurity. Through the initiative, food is purchased from Georgia farmers and businesses and distributed to Georgians in need through the Georgia Food Bank Network. Each year, the effort provides more than 14 million pounds of food to Georgians and is supported by an annual appropriation from the Georgia General Assembly.

“Farmers and producers play a critical role in the fight against hunger and food insecurity in Georgia, and the Georgia Farm to Food Bank program is a perfect example of how,” said Georgi Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper. “Each year, Farm to Food Bank provides over 14 million pounds of fresh produce to Georgians in need by purchasing farmers’ excess or unmarketable produce, and we are extremely proud to partner with feeding Georgia to support our farm families and Georgians in need.”

This year’s Farm to Food Bank awards include:

Atlanta Community Food Bank – $125,000
Golden Harvest Food Bank (Augusta) – $100,000
Feeding the Valley Food Bank (Columbus) – $100,000
Second Harvest of South Georgia (Valdosta) – $100,000
America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia (Savannah) – $100,000
Middle Georgia Community Food Bank (Macon) – $100,000
Food Bank of Northeast Georgia (Athens) – $100,000
Chattanooga Area Food Bank (serving Northwest Georgia) – $100,000

For more information about the Farm to Food Bank program, visit Feeding Georgia’s website.

—Georgia Department of Agriculture