Augusta Locally Grown

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 6, 2021  Community Foundation for the CSRA, Boys & Girls Clubs of the CSRA, and Medical College of  Georgia Foundation Break Ground on HUB for Community Innovation,  Catalyzing Multi-Year Reinvestment in Harrisburg and Laney Walker Neighborhoods  Donate to Augusta Locally Grown's Mission Opening in Spring of 2022, New Project Will Enhance Residents’ Access to Critical Education Support,  Health Services, Quality Food Options and More  Augusta, GA – A coalition led by the Community Foundation for the CSRA, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the  CSRA, and the Medical College of Georgia Foundation broke ground today on a new project designed to catalyze revitalization in the historic Harrisburg and Laney Walker neighborhoods, two of the most  underserved communities in Augusta’s urban core.   The project will be centered around two distinct but mission-aligned facilities that will be known jointly  as...

 Meet My Farmer: Cassava Breads Photos and story by Luke Lawrence Since April 2017 Solomon Cohen and his family have been living the American Dream. A trained chef and caterer, Solomon left these positions behind to pursue his own goals and start his own business. “I always knew that I wanted to work for myself,” Solomon told me as we were chatting in the kitchen that he was leasing out. It was easy to sense Solomon’s entrepreneurial spirit as we talked. No matter what we were discussing, he was constantly focused in on what he had to do that moment for his business. Day-in and day-out, Solomon, with the help of some part-t imers and occasionally his wife, works to market and build his brand, make orders, and ensure that his products are of the highest quality and delivered to his customers with the utmost care. “It is an every day job, more than full time,” Solomon told me as he offered me some of his delicious garlic cassava bread, the main product crafted by his company, Cassava...

Meet My Farmer: Shooting Star Acres Article and photos by Luke Lawrence FARMER SPOTLIGHT: Introducing Alicia and Hunter Weiss, the duo behind Shooting Star Acres! Alicia and Hunter have been living out their dream for a year and a half now in Dearing, GA, where their extended family of chickens and ducks are FREE to roam as they please! Having moved to the greater Augusta area several years ago, the couple traded in their Grovetown residence in favor of a more natural environment; one surrounded by nature and animals where they could pursue their dream of operating a farm and animal rescue! Hunter, a veteran, works full-time at Fort Gordon, as well as helping around the farm building enclosures and equipment, while Alicia runs the farm full-time while also raising their two beautiful children, Ayden and Ayla. The duo, with the help of their eager children, work day-in and day-out to ensure that their animals are treated with the utmost care and respect. “The animals are cared for here,...

  Meet My Farmer: Agape Chocolates    “Love for your fellow man. That’s the meaning, and that’s what we try to embody,” said James Stefanakos, owner and founder of Agape Chocolates. As he was preparing to make several bars from scratch, I had inquired as to what led to the name of his business. Like James, the word “agape” has Greek origins, and roughly translates to “love and charity for your fellow man.” Being a 2nd generation Greek immigrant, James wanted to infuse his heritage with his benevolent values: loving one another well; giving back to those who need help; making a difference in the community around you. These values are at the core of Agape Chocolates, and they have been there since the company’s inception. It started in 2014 when James left his engineering job at a local firm. “I felt like I wasn’t making a difference in the lives around me,” he said. “I wanted to give back; I wanted to help people.” After having a revelatory moment on the way back from visi...

  Summary The Augusta Locally Grown and Augusta To Go partnership developed to service local communities who want direct access to locally grown food – a challenge that impacts not only individuals, but also local restaurants and, subsequently, the local economy.  Following the events of 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic, access to fresh, local food has come into sharp focus for many people. One solution is a delivery option from our local online farmers market which provides farm fresh produce, meats and artisanal products to the region. Delivery is possible in-part thanks to a partnership between the nonprofit, Augusta Locally Grown (ALG) and the locally owned delivery platform Augusta To Go.  Customers can order directly through ALG https://augusta.locallygrown.net/market - and have their purchase of local ingredients delivered straight to their door. Established at the start of the pandemic as the demand for home delivery increased, the collaboration remains an active a...

  Meet My Farmer: Fishheads Aquaponics Farm Catfish are jumpin’;  aquaponics system pumpin’; growing lettuce out in Sardis will never be the same. Please forgive, Doobie Brothers! We couldn’t help ourselves. Giving a new twist to a classic song just seemed like a good way to celebrate two pretty special farmers: Doug and Lisa Dojan of Fisheads. Six years ago, these two didn’t fancy themselves farmers at all. Doug had been (and continues to work) in construction. Lisa is a former 4 th -grade teacher. Today these two grow lettuce in a pristine, all natural, indoor system that produces more leafy greens than they ever imagined possible. In fact, Doug projects that they will grow at least 20,000 pounds of lettuce for sale to the local community in 2018. And they do it all with the help of 700 catfish. Aquaponics is a system of agriculture in which fish waste supplies nutrients for plants to grow. At Fisheads, the fish are raised in an area separated from the lettuce. Filtered wate...

  RADIANT ACRE FARM & GARDEN Jun 3, 2019 Meet My Farmer IT’S MEET MY FARMER MONDAY! City girl meets farmer boy: falls in love; trades in her office-job high heels for manure-kicking boots; never looks back. This is the storybook version of Jana Smith’s life at  Radiant Acres Farm and Garden . But anyone who’s grown food in the South knows better than that. Start-up farming in Georgia would be challenge for any modern American to choose, let alone a person who claims she’d “always been the indoor girl in my family.” You wouldn’t know this upon meeting Jana today. Ponytailed and sunkissed, she grows, harvests, delivers and displays crates of gorgeous veggies, herbs and eggs at market like a seasoned pro. Jana literally glows when she talks about gardening. “It’s amazing to learn how it all works together. Companion planting, natural pest controls, medicinal herbs.” She gets giddy about the luffa gourds she’s got planted for the first time this year. Even more so about her lo...