Wholesome Wave Georgia

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Wholesome Wave Georgia’s (WWG) Food For Health is a multicomponent program that creates and promotes affordable access to fresh, local fruits and vegetables in communities that are marginalized through partnerships with healthcare practitioners, community organizations and local farmers markets operating their Fresh For Less program. Food For Health participants have or are at risk of diet-related illness such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke, and experience low food security. Since 2015, WWG’s Food For Health program has provided over $352,000 worth of fresh, healthy, local fruits and vegetables to nearly 1,300 participants and their families, and has engaged them in cooking and wellness classes with mentorship and community support. WWG is excited to expand Food For Health to include even more families next year with support from the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP).

To celebrate National Fruits and Vegetables Month this September, we interviewed Fresh For Less Manager Alex Duncan about WWG’s meaningful impact in Atlanta, Georgia.

Pictured above: Fresh For Less Manager Alex Duncan.

How does WWG’s Fresh For Less program connect local SNAP participants with farmers markets? How do matched funds support participants? How do those funds support farmers markets?

WWG’s Fresh For Less is a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) nutrition incentive program where every dollar spent in SNAP benefits is matched with another dollar to spend on local fruits and vegetables at over 80 participating local food outlets. So, $20 in SNAP benefits becomes $40 to spend on fresh, healthy food. WWG’s Fresh For Less program is open to all people who utilize SNAP - no registration needed! Participants need only pay with SNAP benefits on their EBT card to receive WWG’s Fresh For Less incentive match. Every Fresh For Less incentive dollar is a bonus dollar for someone who utilizes SNAP, but it’s a real dollar for a local farmer, producer or small business owner. We view our Fresh For Less program as having a true triple-win impact. It increases people’s access to nutritious foods, increases local farmers’ revenues and strengthens local economies and food systems. Since 2009, WWG has provided over $2.3 million dollars in fresh, healthy, local food to Georgians experiencing low food security and facilitated $5.5 million dollars in spending in local food economies.

Pictured above: A caregiver with an infant shopping for vegetables at a Fresh For Less food outlet.

Pictured above: Local Georgians standing in line to purchase fresh produce at a Fresh For Less food outlet.

Pictured above (from left to right): Community Food Ambassador Mike Rouse and Georgia SNAP Connections Benefit Specialist Maria A. Perez promoting WWG’s SNAP Connection program.

According to your 2020 annual report, nearly 800 families received free screenings, enrollments and renewals in SNAP benefits through your SNAP Connection program. What goals has WWG set to accomplish in 2023? How do you plan to achieve them?

WWG has been a SNAP Outreach Partner with the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) since 2014 as part of our SNAP Connection program. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for our services. In 2020, we were permitted to begin providing assistance over the phone, which has tremendously helped to amplify the reach of our program services. In 2022, we expanded our services to provide assistance in Spanish.

In 2023, we aim to provide SNAP and other benefits assistance to 1,300 households! Attending community outreach events, raising awareness about our services through 15 community partnerships and collaborating with Emory University’s Rollins Earn and Learn (REAL) and Ethics and Servant Leadership (EASL) programs to expand program capacity all help us meet and exceed our goals to provide assistance to more Georgians.

Pictured above: Fresh For Less Program Coordinator Moira O’Neill (pictured left) and Georgia SNAP Connections Benefit Specialist Maria A. Perez (pictured right) joined by Maria’s daughter Evolet (pictured middle) operating the Plant 2 Plate program.

Describe your Plant 2 Plate program and the ongoing collaborations with contributing farms. How has this program explored the intersection of educational resources and food support among participants and what impact has it had?

Plant 2 Plate is WWG’s event series that’s all about using SNAP benefits and Fresh For Less incentives to grow your own food. Many folks don’t know that SNAP benefits can be used to buy food-bearing seeds and plant starts for their home gardens, like tomato seeds and peach trees. Along with our gardening education partner Food Well Alliance and our Fresh For Less partner farmers and markets, we co-host events at local farmers’ spring and fall plant sales. Through Fresh For Less, people who utilize SNAP can purchase food-bearing plant starts at 50 percent off and receive a free gardening kit that includes everything they need to start growing their own food at home: an indoor/outdoor grow bags, high quality compost, organic fertilizer, gardening gloves, a trowel and a seasonal plant care guide. Folks need more than seeds to start a garden and we aim to provide additional supplies, resources and education to support folks’ home gardens. Overall, we’ve experienced Plant 2 Plate as a huge success that allows us to reach and engage community members in new ways. From families starting their first garden with little ones to master gardeners, we love meeting and having conversations with Plant 2 Plate attendees. In addition to raising awareness about WWG and how to maximize SNAP benefits, Plant 2 Plate is especially successful in reaching new community members: over 75 percent of Plant 2 Plate attendees report that it’s their first time visiting a farmers market or local farm, let alone using the Fresh For Less program. Farmers love Plant 2 Plate, too. It’s a great way to boost revenue at their plant sales and help them connect with local community members.

Does WWG have any organizational or staff food philosophies or customs that you would like to share?

Our WWG team loves growing, cooking, eating, sharing and talking about food. We have team potlucks and I have to say we’re a mighty good group of cooks! One of WWG’s core philosophies is Food is Love. Growing food for the community and providing food for others are two of the most basic and powerful ways we can care for and support one another. This philosophy drives WWG, as well as our neighbors, growers and local food systems operators, to improve nutrition access and community health for all Georgians.

Pictured above: WWG selling Food is Love t-shirts, hats and stickers to support fresh, local food access for Georgians.