COVID19 Response Update: 5/7/2020

Photo taken by Caleb Jones at Truly Living Well Collegetown Farm.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Food Well Alliance has cancelled all events and convenings until June 1, 2020. During this time we are focusing our attention on allocating critical resources to our farm and garden partners and creating virtual experiences for metro Atlanta residents who want to remain engaged in the local food community. This blog will be updated with new resources and developments on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can also tune into our Instagram Live Stream on Friday at 1 pm for a recap and interviews with farmers and local food organizations.

Community Garden Support

This week, we accomplished a major milestone — contacting all 112 Community Gardens in our directory to check in and determine whether we could support them with labor, compost, or seedlings! While we have been hitting the labor support head-on thanks to the superstar effort of Khari Diop of Think Green, Inc, we are planning to start delivering seedlings on Monday and compost next week. If your garden needs support, please visit our Community Garden Resource Center.

School Garden Update

Food Well Alliance is partnering with Captain Planet Foundation to activate school gardens that have been left dormant due to school closings. We will activate gardens at 35 schools in Atlanta, South Fulton and Dekalb County by planting high-yield crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and sweet potatoes, as well as providing irrigation kits, at each school. We will also contract local growers to prep the beds, plant and install irrigation in the next few weeks. All food will be donated to families in need from late June through September.

Farmer Fund: Applications Due May 10

Applications for farmers to apply for relief from The Farmer Fund are open until May 10. Funds are able to support: lost income or unanticipated expenses due to changes in supply chains, production volumes, and business markets; expenses related to food safety and public health; and medical expenses incurred from illness related to COVID-19. Apply today at www.thefarmerfund.org