Story by Corinne Kocher
Photos by Bailey Garrot
Shared Plates
One of Molly Canfield's favorite parts about Athens is the sheer amount of "small scale agriculture". Listing the eclectic mix of markets, growers, farms, CSAs, and activists in Athens, Molly apologizes for the long, drawn-out list, but also admits that she could keep going.
"Athens is a perfect host city for the Georgia Organics conference, because of the plethora of small family farms, urban farms, inside and just outside of Athens," she says.
To Molly, there's something about "the spirit of Athens" that leads community members to be so supportive of one another. For her, she saw this support first-hand while working with a group of citizens to change a city planning ordinance that banned both front yard gardens and backyard chickens. Four years later, her front yard garden is abloom with tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers.
Sarah Thurman, Athens Farmers Market Manager, met Molly at a previous Georgia Organics conference in Atlanta, but has known Molly as a farmers market patron for years. "Molly has been one of the most stable and consistent supporters of the local good food movement here," says Sarah.
After working in Washington DC with an environmental and consumer advocacy nonprofit, the Atlanta-born activist moved back to Georgia in 2011. She quickly became involved with Georgia Organics, working to coordinate farm tours, facilitate small grant-giving programs, and assist with organizing The Golden Radish awards. While working with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia to implement farm-to-school grant, Molly saw another side of Georgia Organic's work in the state.
"Georgia Organics done so much needed work in Georgia - it makes a difference for both farmers and consumers to have that support throughout the state," she explains.
To Molly, the Georgia Organics Conference & Expo offers something for everyone, from newcomers to the scene to farmers. "Across the board - topics on agriculture, community, economic issues - you can learn different things every year," she says.
In addition to her work on various projects, Molly has volunteered at Georgia Organics conferences for many years. Conference volunteers support the overall success of pre-conference, on-site, and post-conference events through everything from registration to set up for the Farmers Feast. Volunteers are able to connect with conference attendees, attend educational sessions, and receive a registration fee reimbursement.
But the best part? "When you're volunteering, you get to meet and work with new people you wouldn't normally get to meet," Molly says. "I first went to conference to get involved with the organization, but I discovered that there is the communal social connection too".
If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities for the Georgia Organics 2020 Conference & Expo, please visit conference.georgiaorganics.org.
Corinne Kocher and Bailey Garrot are the writer-photographer team behind Shared Plates, a blog exploring food in the world and how it gets to the table. Read all of their work at www.shared-plates.com and follow them on Instagram @sharedplatesatl.