Finding Solutions: Golden Harvest’s Sprout Scouts gives back to the community
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Reaching every hungry person across 24 counties because every life, every family and every meal matters.
That’s the goal of Golden Harvest Food Bank.
They shared with us last week a new report showing hunger on the rise across our area.
They’re finding solutions in hosting programs that give back to those in need.
Another year for kids and their families to become urban farmers through their Sprout Scouts program.
“It’s been an incredible opportunity for kids to have hands-on experience growing food, and they also get to learn about the soup kitchen and know that what we’re doing here at the urban farm is we are growing food for the soup kitchen,” said Anna Logan, health and nutrition manager at Golden Harvest Food Bank.
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Downtown Cooperative Church Ministries is helping Georgians overcome food insecurity, distributing 400,000 pounds of food in 2024.
The Master’s Table Soup Kitchen is open 365 days a year, offering a place for people to go to get a hot meal.
A new report from Golden Harvest shows 1 in 6 people and 1 in 4 children across the region are facing food insecurity.
“Something that we always try to do here at the farm when people come in is let them know that there are many ways families can feed themselves, whether that’s visiting the soup kitchen, a local pantry, receiving SNAP benefits for those eligible, or growing your own food,” said Logan.
She says kids will also learn about composting, plants, insects and harvesting.
Tomika Walker says this is her kid’s second year participating in Sprout Scouts.
“We were trying to get into gardening as a supplement to the food we buy, as everyone knows prices are going up, but it’s a great way to teach them to be self-sufficient,” said Walker. “We homeschool, so it was a part of our curriculum to learn new things and basically get our hands in the dirt.”
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Community come together for the ribbon cutting of the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Youth Center, which was formerly known as the Boys and Girls Club.
And if you want to give back beyond just Sprout Scouts, Golden Harvest says they’re always in need of volunteers.
“We have people that pack food and produce boxes at our produce rescue center and volunteer center at our Augusta campus and Aiken campus, so these are all ways people can get involved with Golden Harvest to give back to the community and fight hunger,” said Logan.
If you are in need of food, you can head to Golden Harvest’s website at https://goldenharvest.org/, click on the find help tab, and then enter your address or zip code.
You’ll then find a list of food pantries near you. You can also find information on Golden Harvest’s senior food box program and child feeding programs on the website.
As far as Sprout Scouts goes, it’s free to sign up and is for kids 6 to 14 and their families.
It’s every Tuesday from now until June 24 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the urban farm located at the Master’s Table Soup Kitchen.
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