Georgia Food Bank Association Inc

Education/advocacy:using its statewide perspective, feeding georgia is able to educate key external stakeholders on hunger issues and hunger relief efforts statewide. This includes advocating for waivers to increase access to summer meals for children and reducing paperwork for pantries and government partners. Key priorities in 2024 included advocating for more tefap in the reauthorization of the farm bill and changes needed in the ndaa to provide more resources to active-duty military members with salaries below 130% of the federal poverty level. Feeding georgia provides a single point of contact for the public, the press, and state and federal nutrition programs/agencies wanting to work together to strengthen hunger relief efforts in georgia. Feeding georgia informs its member food banks about legislation, proposed rule changes and waivers available at the state and federal level that impact hunger programs and engages in direct contact with lawmakers and agency officials to educate them about those impacts and suggest appropriate action.

Food procurement: feeding georgia leads statewide fundraising competitions that raised more than $ 1.2 million for the food banks, with funds going directly to the food banks for local impact: legal food frenzy (georgia bar and attorney general's office) and georgia accounting food fight (ga soc of cpas). Feeding georgia's farm to food bank education and food donation program generated donations of more than 32 million pounds of fresh, #2 grade (aesthetically imperfect) produce from georgia farmers to feed hungry neighbors. Feeding georgia worked with governor kemp and the georgia general assembly to secure an additional $825,000 for the food banks to purchase surplus #1 grade georgia grown produce, strengthening relationships with local growers.

Childhood hunger: feeding georgia educates the public and policy makers about childhood hunger, and works with community partners to increase access to usda nutrition programs like summer meals (sfsp),summer ebt, after school meals (cacfp), school breakfast, backpack and school pantry programs through streamlining of operating requirements, marketing and social media programs; feeding georgia advocated for waivers needed for food banks operating usda child nutrition programs (summer and after school) in hard to serve, remote or rural areas and in neighborhoods on military bases with restricted security access.