One in six Athens residents are considered “food insecure,” according to Feeding America. Thirty-five percent of that group do not qualify for assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. 

FarmRx, also known as the Food as Medicine Prescription Program, is working to provide free fruits and vegetables to low-income families in Athens-Clarke County. 

The program, through the Athens Farmers Market, allows participants to engage in cooking and nutritional classes while offering free health checkups.  

Program participants can acquire their produce at the Farmers Market on Saturday at Bishop Park or the Wednesday Market at Creature Comforts in downtown Athens. Each participant receives a certain amount of tokens they can exchange for produce. 

FarmRx, which also works with the University of Georgia SNAP-Ed program, reported an 85% program completion rate in 2021. 

Hannah Nelson and Josh Talevski are journalism majors at the University of Georgia.