Lack of markets leaves many Augustans stranded in food desert
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Nearly a million people living in Georgia have limited access to a full-service supermarket, according to recent figures – and many of those people are here in Augusta.
In fact, Golden Harvest Food Bank says almost all of the 25 counties it serves have food deserts in both rural and urban communities.
An analysis by the Reinvestment Fund found Georgia is seeing a growing disparity in access to grocery stores. The study blames the state’s rapid population growth.
Christina Szczepanski with the Reinvestment Fund says more people are moving into rural or urban communities that lack resources.
“Retail lags,” she said. “It takes a much longer time frame for grocery stores and other types of retailers just can’t catch up.”
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As defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a food desert means people in an urban area have to travel more than a mile to a grocery store for fresh food. The distance is 10 miles for rural areas.
In Augusta, having to travel on multiple buses just to gain access to fresh food used to be the reality for Harrisburg and Laney Walker neighbors.
Part of that is being addressed by the Veggie Park farmers market at the HUB for Community Innovation on Chaffee Avenue.
Every week, 200 to 400 people walk inside the HUB looking at the fresh food options.
Amy Breitmann, CEO of Golden Harvest Food Bank, says the growing need for people to have more options is evident and felt by their food pantry partners.
“What it means for our partners is that they’ve got long lines in their pantries because people are trying to find a place where they can get fresh fruits and produce, or just food in general because so many people are struggling with food insecurity because they have to cut their food budgets in order to make their overall budget work for housing and childcare and health care and other things that they need,” said Breitmann.
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Golden Harvest runs The Master’s Table soup kitchen in downtown Augusta to help aid the current food desert in the area. The kitchen provides hot meals for families that need them.
The food bank also runs an urban farm to produce fresh produce to provide to people.
Sustainable local agriculture is also something Growing Augusta Co-Founder, Karen Gordon, is trying to instill more into the community. She says part of that is taking steps with local and state leaders to make happen.
“We’ve held a series of food access stakeholders meetings. So that’s more along the lines of food policy. So our legislators can laws or ordinances that will make it easier for folks to grow food in the city,” said Gordon.
There’s also additional help through the Georgia Food for Health Program.
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