Rebecca van Loenen shops at ALDI, which has been out of chicken for weeks. But Augusta Locally Grown (AGL) has always had plenty of chicken and other staples in stock.
Van Loenen serves as Executive Director of the non-profit organization, which is now located in the HUB for Community Innovation at 631 Chafee Ave. in downtown Augusta. ALG, which was founded in 2008, partners with local farmers to provide food to the local community.
“We offer farmers’ markets in food deserts,” van Loenen said.
Food deserts are areas, such as the Harrisburg and Laney Walker communities, where residents have limited access to affordable, nutritious food options. For example, the organization offers The Veggie Park Farmers Market, which is open on Thursdays from late April until December at the HUB.
“We’re looking to go year-round with that one,” she said.
It also has a year-round online market that provides home delivery options. Besides farmers’ markets, ALG offers a variety of classes.
“We have classes to help you grow your own food and help you understand the nutrition in the food you grow,” she said. “We welcome families to take our classes.”
The nonprofit also offers Georgia Food for Health, a vegetable prescription program for those diagnosed with at least one food-related condition, such as diabetes or hypertension. ALG works with several organizations, such as Harrisburg Family Healthcare, another HUB partner, to offer this program.
The nonprofit has received support from companies, such as Lamar Advertising, GEICO, and State Farm, which have helped to promote its mission.
Prior to moving into the HUB, the organization was home-based, but it now has 8,000 square feet of space, including a commercial kitchen that will be rented out to home-based businesses.
“It’s hard to build and expand when you don’t have a central location,” van Loenen said. “We’re doing three times the amount of outreach and services we were doing before.”
They used to offer Georgia Food for Health to 30-40 participants each year. But this year, 50 people participated; next year, that number will probably increase to 60. She said they also plan to start a farmer business incubator early next year.
ALG currently has four full-time and 10 part-time employees, as well as volunteers.
“We can always use more volunteers,” she said.
For more information, visit augustalocallygrown.org.
