Hunger
Hunger
Creating access to food to reduce food insecurity through food pantries, food recovery and distribution, nutrition education, and more to ensure individuals and families in Georgia have food on the table and do not go hungry.
Access to food is a key determinant for household stability for low-income families.
- In Georgia, 897,000 adults – 13% of all adults in the state – report that their household doesn’t have enough to eat.
- In Georgia, 507,000 adults – 18% of all adults in the state living with children – report that children in the household weren’t eating enough because the household couldn’t afford food.
- For nearly 1 in 8 adults with children in Georgia, the household lacked sufficient food in the last 7 days.
- Households of color in Georgia are likelier to lack sufficient food during the covid-19 pandemic.
Our Hunger Services
Client-Choice Food Pantries
St. Vincent de Paul Georgia’s 40 Client-Choice Food Pantries located at our main service center in Chamblee and local service hubs across the state provide $2.5 million in food assistance to over 85,000 households each year.
Our food pantries utilize a client-choice model, with neighbors in need receiving food assistance able to select the food they want at no cost, choosing fresh produce, meat, baked goods, and non-perishables. This client-choice model not only reduces food waste from unwanted food but also reinforces the dignity of each person – a fundamental tenet of St. Vincent de Paul Georgia.
Neighbors in need can “shop” for food in person at SVdP Georgia food pantries or choose a home delivery service or curbside pick up.
Teaching Kitchen + Nutrition Education
The innovative SVdP Georgia Teaching Kitchen features semi-commercial, energy-efficient appliances in a classroom-style space to provide nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, and classes on healthy eating, feeding a family on a budget, cooking skills, and more. Participants are able to prepare their own food with supplies from SVdP Georgia’s Client-Choice Food Pantry and take home nutritious prepared meals.
Food Recovery + Distribution Program
The St. Vincent de Paul Georgia Food Recovery & Distribution Program is essential for stocking our client-choice food pantries. Through partnerships with Kroger, Aldi, Sam’s Club, and others, our Food Recovery & Distribution Program recovers food from grocery retail partner locations, including fresh produce, meat, baked goods and non-perishables. This recovered food stocks our 40 client-choice food pantries across the state.
Each month, the Food Recovery & Distribution Program recovers over 25 tons of food, preventing $2 million of food waste per year. SVdP Georgia operates a large warehouse at our main service center in Chamblee complete with industrial walk-in refrigerators and freezers, storage and sorting areas, and maintains a fleet of trucks and experienced drivers on staff for program operation.
SNAP Benefits Assistance
SVdP Georgia caseworkers provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits eligibility screening and enrollment assistance to low-income individuals and families to ensure that at-risk and vulnerable households have access to sufficient nutritious, healthy food and do not go hungry.