Atlanta, GA |

With the holiday season in full swing, the Atlanta Community Food Bank is working around the clock to get food into the hands of families who need it most. Moving, sorting, and packaging millions of pounds of food daily, the organization is facing record-high demand—a challenge CEO Kyle Waide says they are rising to meet.

“So, right now, we’re seeing that lines are longer than they’ve ever been at food pantries across the state. We’re serving seventy percent more people today than we did just three and a half years ago. And about two hundred and fifty thousand households turn to our network every month to get food assistance,” said Waide.

While canned goods remain a staple of the food bank’s inventory, Waide notes that access to fresh and frozen items—especially fresh produce—has dramatically increased, thanks to partnerships with Georgia’s agricultural community.

“You know, over the last decade… our food bank and food banks across the state have really been increasing the amount of fresh and frozen products that we distribute. We used to really rely primarily on nonperishable items. But today, sixty percent, nearly sixty percent of what we distribute is either fresh or frozen. And the largest of those product categories is fresh produce,” he explained. “We’re working with farms all across Georgia to get access to surplus produce that in years past, would really just be plowed back into the field.”

Through statewide initiatives like Farm to Food Bank and Harvest for All, along with countless individual donations, Georgia farmers donate tens of millions of pounds of produce every year—an effort that not only reduces food waste but helps nourish families across the state.

“We couldn’t do that without great partnerships with our agricultural community,” Waide said. “Farmers really care about feeding people, however that happens. Whether it’s through product they sell or through product they donate. And so, those farmers in Georgia that we work with are just incredibly generous and they’re doing great things to help us ensure that everybody has enough food.”

That generosity doesn’t just boost supply—it also improves quality. By increasing access to fruits and vegetables, food banks can now provide healthier, more balanced meals to families in need.

“The families that we serve need what we all need, which is a full mix of groceries and food items so that they can meet their full nutritional needs,” Waide added. “They can’t do that without access to great produce and other healthier items… We just want to help people have a balanced diet like we all want.”

As demand continues to climb, the partnership between Georgia’s farmers and food banks is proving to be a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of households—and a powerful reminder of how agriculture can help feed not just a nation, but a neighborhood.

By: Damon Jones