Cultivating the Food Community in West Georgia by Building Bridges between Local Farmers and Early Care & Education Centers

Author: Laura Edmonds, with support from Kimberly Koogler 

Laura Edmonds supports Georgia Organics’ Community Collaborations work in West Georgia. She lives in Carrollton and is a farm and market crew member at two organic farms in the West Georgia area. Kimberly Koogler is Manager of Community Collaborations for Georgia Organics. 

“CAFI Farm Corner”, May 21, 2024

Wolf Pup Produce Market Day at University of West GA PreK, May 17, 2024

Since 2017, Georgia Organics has been engaging West Georgia families in learning about, growing, and purchasing local, healthy food. Recently, Georgia Organics has deepened its roots in the area with new partnerships and activities as part of its ongoing Farm to Early Care & Education programming.  

Over the past few months, Georgia Organics’ Community Collaborations team partnered with local farmer Terri Parmer of High Spirits Farm to work with students and staff at the University of West Georgia Early Learning Center and the Community Action for Improvement‘s (CAFI) Carrollton Head Start. Together, they grew seasonal vegetable gardens with turnips, kale, collards, lettuce, spinach, radishes, dill, strawberries, marigolds, and more. Every month, Farmer Terri spent hands-on time in the garden with students, read to classes about farming and healthy eating, and even brought in one of her hens, Ms. Betty, to visit. 

Community Action for Improvement’s Quinecia Styles-Smith with students in the garden at Carrollton Head Start

Farmer Terri Parmer and her hen, Ms. Betty, visiting students at the University of West GA’s PreK Program

Farmer Terri Parmer and students examine hakurei turnips growing in the UWG PreK Program’s garden

In May, students closed out the school year by hosting and inviting their families to a mini farmers market at each center where they could experience first-hand what the children had been growing and learning. To prepare for the market, Farmer Terri led students in harvesting and washing their produce. Each center then set up market displays and sold their products to their “customers,” feeling the pride of providing their community with local, healthy food they grew themselves. 

Students and their families choose produce to purchase with their “Head Start Bucks” at the CAFI Farm Corner

Carrollton Head Start student purchasing school garden grown lettuce mix at CAFI Farm Corner

Farmer Terri and UWG PreK students harvest carrots from their school garden

Students and their families purchase produce at the Wolf Pup Produce Market Day at UWG PreK

Students and families also visited a weekday pop-up market featuring farmers and local vendors from the Carrollton Cotton Mill Farmers Market. The market attracted over 200 visitors who enthusiastically shopped, participated in a scavenger hunt, and sampled seasonal produce. The event gave Georgia Organics and its early care center partners an opportunity to feature their work in West Georgia, including the West Georgia Family Farm Share, a low-cost, seasonal farm box subscription available for pick-up weekly at the local Head Start partner centers. A local chef held a cooking demo highlighting easy preparation methods for ingredients in the week’s farm share box.   

Through these events, farmers, students, staff, and families built a bridge between local food producers and early care and education communities. Forging this connection between families and the local farmers is a great way to encourage young children to become adventurous eaters and be a part of the local food movement, building a healthier and more sustainable West Georgia.

Georgia Organics Farm to Early Care & Education Programming in West Georgia is supported by Community Foundation of West Georgia’s Alice Huffard Richards Fund.

UWG PreK students and family members starting summer seedlings together at Wolf Pup Produce Market Day

Farmer Terri helping a UWG PreK student plant seeds at the Wolf Pup Produce Market Day

To learn more about High Spirits Farm, visit them on Facebook or in person on Saturday mornings at the Carrollton Cotton Mill Farmers Market.  

To learn more about Community Action For Improvement’s Carrollton Head Start, visit cafi-ga.org or follow them on Instagram at (@communityactionforimprovement) and LinkedIn at @community-action-for-improvement-inc-).   

To learn more about the University of West Georgia Early Learning Center visit their web page.  

 To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.   

Georgia is having a Pepper Palooza!

By Yaza Sarieh 

Yaza Sarieh is the Georgia Organics Community Collaboration Coordinator. 

Graphics created by Ana Maria Paramo

For the past ten years, Georgia Organics has coordinated a statewide campaign to get kids eating, growing, and learning about a new fruit or vegetable during October Farm to School Month.  Over the years, this campaign has encouraged millions of Georgians to get excited about local fruits and veggies – even the ones that have a bad rep!  

Our 2022 October Farm to School Month campaign, Spinach To Win It, reached over 700,000 Georgia students. Check out all our previous fruit and vegetable-themed campaign materials here. 

This year’s October Farm to School Month campaign is celebrating PEPPER PALOOZA! 

Graphics created by Ana Maria Paramo

Peppers are awesome because they not only grow and thrive right here in Georgia, but they are also found in cuisines all over the world.  

When you sign up for October Farm to School Month: Pepper Palooza at bit.ly/pepperpalooza, you’ll automatically receive access to our free electronic toolkit full of pepper-themed materials. From lesson plans to classroom & cafeteria recipes, plus school garden resources and everybody’s favorite: merch – this campaign is going to be pepper than ever. It’s downright spicy! 

To get peppered for Pepper Palooza, we asked some Georgia Organics staff to share some of their favorite pepper meals: 

“I love to eat peppers in all kinds of salsas and hot sauces, which I eat on everything. I also love all peppers on pizza.”

— Kimberly Koogler, Community Collaborations Manager

“I love to eat Muhammara, which is a red pepper dip from the Middle East. It is great with pita bread or vegetables! When you sign up for Pepper Palooza, you can get a free kid-friendly Muhammara recipe!”

— Yaza Sarieh, Community Collaborations Coordinator

“I love this recipe from the New York Times: Skillet Chicken with Black Beans, Rice and Chiles.”

— Lydia Hsu, Farmers Services Coordinator

“My favorite way to eat pepper is in a non-traditional Italian sausage and peppers recipe. I like to char my onions with red and yellow bell peppers, then add fresh garlic and fresh oregano with chicken sausage. It’s a very simple and yummy recipe.”

— Kimberly Della Donna, Community Collaborations Director

“I’ve been snackin’ on jalapeños frescos since I was 4 years old – my favorite way to enjoy a spicy, healthy snack! When I decided I wanted to step away from a career in professional theatre, I never dreamed that farming and agriculture would be my next big step. For my first growing season this spring, I decided to stick to my love of peppers & grow six different varieties to see what new peppery dishes I could explore…on my list to try are: Sofrita, a traditionally Puerto Rican soup featuring aji dulce peppers (ajicitos) & Peperonata (Sweet Bell Peppers With Olive Oil, Onion, and Tomatoes) – using doe hill golden bell peppers – and my own hot sauce using habanero, jalapeno & aji amarillo chili peppers, all home grown from USDA Organic seed sourced from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.”

— M.F. Espinoza, Communications Fellow 

Speaking of eating peppers, we have some BRAND NEW resources and activities specifically tailored for school nutrition!  As part of our toolkit, we have different cafeteria recipes and promotional materials that will get everyone pumped for peppers. Additionally, when districts serve peppers at least once a week during the month of October, they are eligible to win a very special prize! Check out the requirements and contest information here.  

Courtesy of Emily House, Gainesville, GA 

Courtesy of Samantha Tarvin, Walker County 

And speaking of contests, don’t forget to share all of your fun pepper activities for our social media contest! Use #pepperpalooza in your social media posts for the chance to win a fantastic prize. Social media winners will be selected each week and highlighted in our weekly engagement e-mails throughout October. At the end of the month, one lucky winner will receive a grand prize – so don’t snooze on the palooza! 

What are you waiting for? If you haven’t signed up already, REGISTER NOW to get this Pepper Palooza started!  

To learn more about Georgia Organics visit georgiaorganics.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube by searching (Georgia Organics).  

Georgia Organics Conference Recap: Community Collaboration Session on the Use of Storytelling to Improve Social Awareness, Grow Leaders, and Foster Belonging in a School Setting

By Yaza Sarieh 

Yaza Sarieh is the Georgia Organics Community Collaboration Coordinator. 

Active Inclusion Session - Photo by Jenna Shea Photojournalism

In mid-February, the annual Georgia Organics Conference & Expo created space for community members to learn from each other and reinvigorate impactful connections at the Perry National Fairgrounds. On a rainy Thursday morning, the Community Collaborations track kicked off with a session titled: Active Inclusion – How telling our collective stories improves social awareness, grows leaders, and fosters belonging in the community, facilitated by Sagdrina Jalal, Founder of SageD Consulting, and Rukia Rogers, Founder of the Highlander School of Atlanta. This interactive workshop provided participants with tools to help them transition from an understanding and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion to implementing strategies that support the changes they desire.  

Sagdrina Jalal - Photo by Jenna Shea Photojournalism

Rukia Rogers - Photo by Jenna Shea Photojournalism

Both Sagdrina and Rukia are Social Justice Activists and Educators with extensive experience supporting leaders to develop their impact through the use of storytelling and authentic engagement. They started the experience with a commemoration and acknowledgment of the Muscogee tribe and African American slaves who were stewards of the land that we occupy. This reflection transitioned into a discussion about mission-driven programming, using The Highlander School of Atlanta as a case study.  

One of the core principles of the Highlander School’s mission is that children are “active discoverers and constructors of their own knowledge,” and that “they have the right....to be a part of the decision-making process.” To fulfill this mission, Rukia talked about how the school must constantly and rigorously reflect on the ways their mission and values are present in daily activities. For instance, when students encountered an unhoused person asking for food, they started to ask questions, and expressed a desire to help enhance food equity in their community. Educators allowed the students to take the lead, and so they made bowls for unhoused people to eat from, and they inspired the creation of a community garden accessible to everyone in need. This is just one example of how stories can reflect and communicate the values and missions of an organization in meaningful, tangible ways. 

The Highlander School - Photo by SageD Consulting

The example of the Highlander School was a segway into the interactive portion of the Active Inclusion workshop. For this portion of the session, Sagdrina used her background as the Founder of SageD Consulting to coach participants on effective messaging of their missions. Sagdrina emphasized that effective messaging cultivates community-centered networks and amplifies diverse voices. Some of the factors she encouraged participants to consider were adapted from the Anti-Racist Farmer’s Market Toolkit and include: 

• Who are the sponsors, partners, and collaborators? 

• What are those partner organizations’ values? 

• Where does your organization advertise? What are the advertisers’ values? 

• Does the organization have community partnerships that benefit the most vulnerable members of the community? 

These questions are crucial for communicating the message consistently, and ensuring that it represents and resonates with the intended audience. Session participants then engaged in a small group campaign activity to create messaging campaigns that related to a shared topic and values. This learning opportunity proved to be a strong start to the conference, as participants collectively practiced how to promote healing, belonging, and equity in this setting and beyond. 

Interactive Activity - Photos by Jenna Shea Photojournalism

To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn by searching the handle @GeorgiaOrganics or Georgia Organics.

To learn more about SageD Consulting, visit www.sagedconsulting.com, or follow them on Facebook, Instagram (@sagdrina), and LinkedIn.

To learn more about The Highlander School, visit www.thehighlanderschool.com, or follow them on Facebook, Instagram (@rukiarogers), and LinkedIn.

Family Farm Share from a Public Health Perspective

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/