By Lena Enciso
Lena Enciso is a Community Collaborations intern at Georgia Organics and a Master of Public Health Candidate at Emory University.
The Family Farm Share (FFS) pilot program in Waycross, GA was built upon groundwork laid by Georgia Organics Program Director Suzanne Girdner, through the former Georgia Food Oasis program, and Georgia Organics Community Collaborations Director Kimberly Della Donna, through initiatives to expand Farm to Early Care and Education. The Georgia Food Oasis program aimed to build capacity in communities around the state to create hyperlocal food systems. Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) connects young children and their families with fresh, locally grown foods and supports farmers in their community.
In the years leading up to 2021, Georgia Organics was seeking ways to collaborate more across its diverse programs. Family Farm Share was the perfect opportunity to do so, connecting farmers and the fresh food they produce to low-income community members of Action Pact in Waycross, Georgia. The idea behind FFS is to increase access to local, organic food while connecting farmers to the community and opening up an untapped revenue stream.
Connie Oliver, whose farmer support organization WayGreen has been instrumental on the farmer side of the program stated: "Family Farm Share has brought about new opportunities for our growers to facilitate access to wholesome, locally produced foods to those in our community. The low-cost, highly nutritious weekly share has also given growers access to families not otherwise being served through current outlets. Weekly sale of these shares has provided much-needed income and resources for the small farmers seeking to grow organically in our local food system.”
Farmer Justin Hall and WayGreen Founder, Connie Oliver displaying a Family Farm Share in April 2022
Family Farm Share from Spring of 2022, photo courtesy of Connie Oliver
A program like Family Farm Share is important as food insecurity is a major issue in the United States; over 34 million people in the United States, which includes 9 million children experience food insecurity (source: feedingamerica.org), and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “less than 50% of children consume enough fruits, and less than 12% consume enough vegetables in their diet” (source: PubMed Central). The FFS program includes a nutrition education component where each week, participants get tips on how to use and store their produce, nutritional information, and recipe suggestions, as well as fun facts to help get children excited about fruits and vegetables! 100% of participants have agreed that these were helpful.
The FFS program currently serves the Action Pact Community in Waycross, particularly those at the Ware County Head Start and Hazzard Hill Early Head Start -- this includes children and their families, as well as teachers and other staff members. According to a pre-program survey, 41.1% of families at the center were enrolled in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and 38.9% were enrolled in WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children). Located in Southeast Georgia, Waycross has a population that is 55.03% Black and 35.43% White, according to the 2020 United States Census.
A Family Advocate at Action Pact walking a child out to their parent’s car with a Family Farm Share
In many ways, the Family Farm Share program has been successful. For just five dollars a week, participants receive a share valued at $20-$25 of freshly harvested, locally and organically grown fruits and vegetables, as well as other locally produced items, such as bread, meat, eggs, and jam. Feedback for the program has been overwhelmingly positive; families particularly enjoy the freshness and variety of products, trying new foods, having easier access to fresh, local produce, and the convenience and affordability.
However, the program has not yet been successful in every way Georgia Organics desires. An equity issue Georgia Organics aims to address is to recruit more Black farmers, as farmer partners for the program so far are all currently White.
Due to the pilot's success, the Family Farm Share program will be expanding to more communities in the coming years. Georgia Organics will expand first to surrounding communities to build on the existing systems and partnerships in place. As part of this, they will recruit more farm partners nearby to build supply and allow the program to expand, while focusing on diversifying their farmer cohort.
Suzanne stated, “What I love about Family Farm Share is we’re meeting families where they’re at, within their daily routines at daycare and early care centers, while connecting small farmers to new markets close to their farms. We hope to make Waycross a model that other communities can adapt and make their own.”
Farmer Roger Westover of GreenWay Gardens cradles gai choy greens for the Family Farm Shares in Spring 2022, photo courtesy of Connie Oliver
To learn more about Georgia Organics and the Family Farm Share program, visit georgiaorganics.org and follow us on social media @GeorgiaOrganics and at facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.
To learn more about WayGreen, visit waygreeninc.org and follow them on social media @wayxgreen. To learn more about Action Pact, visit myactionpact.org and follow them on social media at facebook.com/ConcertedServicesInc/