Wholesome Wave Georgia

As a part of Wholesome Wave Georgia's SNAP Connection work, our teammate, Mike Rouse, collects SNAP Stories from neighbors willing to share a few words about how SNAP shapes their everyday experience.

Olympia, a mother of four, was laid off from UPS suddenly in November.

“How am I going to buy food for my family?” she said. Olympia has always been a provider: the helper to her friends, the person others lean on. Thanks to flexibility with a third-party UPS contractor, she was able to advocate for her son when the school system couldn’t fully meet his needs.

After the layoff, her problems ballooned. To cut expenses, Olympia brought her youngest child home from daycare. The decision saved money, but made it nearly impossible for her to search for work.

Now she is trying to navigate SNAP, but the new work requirements feel unclear.

“It’s vague,” Olympia commented. “I don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to do or who to ask. It’s a struggle to seek help and it’s a bigger struggle to remain positive.”

WWG SNAP Connection exists for people like Olympia who are struggling to put food on the table and are unsure about how to best access the resources offered through government benefits.

If you or someone you know finds yourself in a similar situation, please give them the SNAP Connection hotline number: 678-631-7101

We are excited to welcome West Georgia Farmer's Cooperative back into the fold of Wholesome Wave Georgia Fresh for Less partners. For 60 years, this agricultural co-op has traditionally consisted of local black farmers. Now it includes consumers and other community members, as well.

"Cooperatively, we work together to build opportunities through local food systems and wealth through cooperative economics."

You can find WGFC at one of their three sites every Saturday 10am - 2pm. Next up: June 20th at 118 E. Cannon St., Lagrange. Find the full list of market dates and locations in the images below.

Another successful Backyard Bash on Saturday with some dear friends of Wholesome Wave Georgia. We love it when Greg Best of Ticonderoga Club brings his friends out to shake up some cocktails and cook up some deliciousness at these Live Auction events. You, too, could host one of these epic parties if you join us at Southern Chefs Potluck in October and bid in our Live Auction.

A big thank you goes out to Greg Best, Miles Macquarrie of Kimball House, Matt Watkins of Fawn Wine and Amaro Bar, Terry Koval of The Deer and The Dove, Rod Lassiter of Talat Market, Carlo Gan & Mia Orino of Kamayan ATL Filipino Restaurant, Jason Paolini of Lucian Books & Wine, Duane Nutter of Southern National Atlanta, Rosa Thurnher of El Ponce, Kristen Scott of Tailor & Table, and Mallory DeGolian, our dedicated Events Chair. Y'all are AMAZING!

What a glorious time at Southern Sips on Wednesday! Thank you to everyone who came out to support Wholesome Wave Georgia.

We'd like to extend a special thanks to our sponsor, Rough Draft Atlanta, and our hosts, El Ponce! And to our friends at Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen, Murrell's Row, and Molino Tortilleria for donating delicious treats.

Cheers, y'all!

📸: Jenna Shea Photojournalism

📣Hey Atlanta! Southern Sips is tomorrow at El Ponce. Tickets are still available.

Come see us and toast to fighting food insecurity!🍹

https://onecau.se/_hbeqy1

✨Imagine 5 world class chefs cooking an intimate and luxurious dinner for your closest friends in your very own house. Now imagine sipping on incredible wines carefully paired with the menu. ✨

🎉If you would like to make this dream a reality, join us on October 4th at Serenbe for Wholesome Wave Georgia's Southern Chefs Potluck. Come prepared to outbid your fellow guests.💸

🙏Thank you to Chef Joey Ward, Chef Nicolas Michel Bour, Chef Günter Seeger, Chef Ami Dand and Chef Brandon M Martin for making this magical evening a night to remember and a special thank you to United Distributors and The Wine Shop at Serenbe for pairing the wines perfectly. 🍷

Julia Asherman is a force. She radiates both strength and love, and she is an essential part of the local food system in Middle Georgia. Julia and her family run Rag & Frass Farm in Jeffersonville, where they grow vegetables, fruit, herbs and specialty cut flowers with nothing but the good stuff: hard work, resourcefulness, tender loving care, and lots of organic matter. She was kind enough to take a break from tending the crops to take Wholesome Wave Georgia's Programs Team on a farm tour during a recent visit.

Julia doesn't just run a farm (a feat in itself), she also runs Poplar Street Farmers Market in Macon. They set up every Wednesday from 3:00-6:00 downtown between MLK and 3rd with seasonal fruits, veggies, flowers, plants, local meat, baked goods, and more.

Both Rag & Frass Farm and Poplar Street Farmers Market are Wholesome Wave Georgia Fresh for Less partner sites. Swipe your EBT card at Poplar Street and receive $1 in Fresh for Less tokens to use on fruits & veggies in addition to $1 in SNAP tokens. Shop online or in person with Rag & Frass Farm for 50% off fruits and veggies. (Both are subject to a $50 limit per person/per day).

Even if you don't use SNAP, please support these partner sites to help the Georgia local food system thrive.

Situated alongside the Firefly Trail, Firefly Farmstop in Winterville is the newest Wholesome Wave Georgia Fresh for Less partner site. Open Monday-Saturday, 8:30am-7:30pm, you can shop for Georgia-grown produce, snacks, coffee, and more.

When you pay using an EBT card, all fresh, locally grown produce is automatically 50% off (up to a $50 discount). All profits from Firefly Farmstop fund the programs and mission of Marigold Collective: to build a stronger local food system by supporting local growers and producers, expanding access to fresh, affordable food, providing nutrition education, and creating pathways to share food abundance within the Winterville and East Athens communities.

🧡🎉Planning to roll deep for Southern Chefs Potluck on October 4th?

Don't delay! Early bird special on discounted tables ends May 31. 🐓

With inflation and general cost of living increases, people like Jada, a Certified Nursing Assistant in Atlanta, struggle to get by. To provide for her two children as a single mother, Jada relies on the SNAP program.

“It fills the gap," Jada told Wholesome Wave Georgia. "I need it and more."

Some weeks are tighter than others. A reduced schedule, an unexpected bill, kid needs, or a higher gas week can compress stability quickly.

"There’s no cushion at all,” she said. “It’s one income, one Mom, 1,000 bills.”