Food
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Oconee County Board of Commissioners Votes to Amend Alcoholic Beverages Ordinance
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to amend the Alcoholic Beverages Ordinance distance requirement from any location to a school and/or church from 600 feet to 300 feet. The change follows the county’s decision to deny renewing Costa Alegre Seafood and Grill’s liquor license. The new amendment…
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SNAP Benefit Cuts Leave Athens-Clarke Nonprofits Facing Sharp Rise in Demand
Geoff Rushing, founder of City of Refuge Athens, said Northeast Georgia has gone from “food insecurity crisis to food insecurity emergency.” On Nov. 1, for the first time in United States history, the federal government suspended benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program amid the federal government shutdown. The unprecedented…
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Northeast Georgia Food Bank Competes to Give Back
In Northeast Georgia, friendly competition is fueling a big impact. Food insecurity remains a pressing issue not only in Athens but across Northeast Georgia. Thousands of residents are impacted everyday and face challenges of getting food on the table. Every October, the Northeast Georgia Food Bank hosts their annual Hunger…
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Athens Farmers Market Prescribes Fresh Food for Community Health
Saturday mornings in Athens are often synonymous with Bulldogs football, but for many, they are just as much about picking the right berries as they are about picking off the quarterback. From 8 a.m. to noon, shoppers flock to Bishop Park to fill their baskets with all the fruits and…
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How One Local Organization is Helping Families Affected by SNAP’s Potential Pause
Family Promise of Athens works to help people experiencing homelessness, but with SNAP cuts looming on Saturday, the organization is doing everything it can to fill the gap. SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federally-funded program that provides monthly benefits to low-income households to help pay for…
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Athens Families Face Hunger Crisis as Federal Food Aid Expires
About 60% of Athens-Clarke County students rely on free or reduced school meals, a vital lifeline that could be at risk as federal food assistance programs face drastic cuts in the new federal budget and the impact of the government shutdown. Earlier this year, Congress passed legislation reducing federal support…
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Face To The Food: Winterville’s Friendly Mushroom Farm
At a time when produce can travel thousands of miles before reaching consumers, it can be challenging to know who is producing the food that reaches tables in Northeast Georgia. However, the rise in demand for locally grown goods through programs such as farmers markets or community-supported agriculture has signaled…
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Northeast Georgia Food Bank Lends Neighbors A Hand to A Healthier Plate
Many Athens residents live in food deserts. And according to Feeding America, almost 20% of residents in Clarke County were living in food insecurity as of 2023. But the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia is leading the charge to not only feed every mouth, but to do so sustainably. Athens-Clarke…
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Fresh Food, Fresh Start: How Athens FARMRx Connects Health, Local Produce
With a bag of leafy greens in one hand and fresh tomatoes in the other, Maya Alandete sees more than produce changing hands. She sees confidence, connection and a chance at better health. That’s the mission behind FARMRx, a food-as-medicine program helping bridge the gap between healthcare and healthy eating…
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The Hush: Transitioning to Cuban Cuisine in Clayton
The mountains of North Georgia are not typically where one would expect to find a piece of Cuba. However, nestled snugly within the historic downtown of Clayton, Georgia, The Hush Cuban Kitchen & Bar brings the heat of sun-soaked beaches and pollo a la plancha to the Georgian mountainside. Originally,…