NEWS BRIEF: Urban farms, food banks responding to rampant food insecurity

Food Insecurity on the rise in Georgia

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta estimates the share of Georgia’s population classified as food insecure increased from 13 percent in 2018 to 18 percent in 2020. The number of children in the same predicament jumped from just over 400,000 to more than 640,000 in that time period - a surge of 60 percent. The result is an escalation of demand at local food banks and farms within the city. Atlanta Community Food Bank VP Jon West said his organization has distributed 60 percent more food in the last 14 months. “This wasn’t a goal of ours but a necessity.” Atlanta has 28 urban farms that have expanded food availability in the city’s southern and western areas where supermarkets tend to be scarce, according to the 2020 Fresh Food Access Report. The Fresh MARTA Market concept is also making a difference, popping up in stations at Bankhead, West End, Five Points, College Park, and H.E. Holmes - all places with limited food access. thegroundtruthproject.org