The Cherokee County School District’s School Nutrition program has earned a statewide honor for serving locally grown food.
The Georgia Public School Local Food Procurement Champion Award, which was accepted by CCSD School Nutrition Executive Director Tina Farmer on behalf of the department, recognizes the Georgia school district with the most purchases from local farmers through The Common Market, a nonprofit regional food distributor.
To commemorate National Black Business Month in August, Aramark highlights some unique partnerships the company values and nurtures below.
Chefs at several Aramark Collegiate Hospitality accounts in the southeast have been working with Arkansas River Rice, the largest Black-owned rice mill in the U.S., which offers several types of rice grown from local farms.
Aramark first began working with Arkansas River Rice through a partnership with The Common Market, a nonprofit regional wholesale food distributor that connects communities to food grown by local farms.
Something fresh is growing at Rockdale County Public Schools. The district is prepped to launch a new local foods pilot program supporting small farms led by people of color, women and others historically excluded from market opportunities while exposing students to more locally grown, nutritious food. The program recently kicked off with new recipe development and nutrition training workshops held Jan. 17-18 at C.J. Hicks Elementary and J.H. House Elementary, celebrating Georgia-sourced fruits, vegetables and meats.
“We are so excited to support innovation within the RCPS school nutrition department and to honor our state’s small, sustainable growers in the process,” said Emily Hennessee, program manager of The Georgia ACRE Collective. “Through this work, we hope to build the case for statewide adoption of a local food incentive program for school meals across Georgia.”
[The Common Market] aims to help local farms provide food to essential institutions such as schools, hospitals, universities, and large-scale government contracts.
“This past year has been very, very good for us,” Asa Ysrael, head farmer at Local Lands, said. “The LFPA (Local Food Purchase Assistance) program has allowed us to scale up. It gives us security, so we don’t have to worry about if the product gets sold. We can focus on other variables that aren’t controllable. I’m happy about that.”
“Historically underserved farmers have long been excluded from wholesale opportunities,” explained The Common Market Southeast Executive Director Bill Green.
“This program builds on the work begun during the USDA’s pandemic-era contracts to engage historically underserved producers, promoting sustainability and equity in local food systems while delivering fresh, ecologically responsible produce to communities.”
New numbers show a local nonprofit has distributed more than $2 million since 2022. It's money helping Black, Indigenous and female farmers grow in Georgia. Local Lands, a Black-owned and family-operated poultry farm in Lamar County has benefited from the state funds distributed by The Common Market Southeast. Right now, the East Point nonprofit is helping farms like Local Lands through the state's Local Food Purchase Assistance Program.
"Many organizations have had interest in purchasing from these growers, but that interest has been on an a la carte type plan. 'That doesn’t bode well for these small growers,' says Green. The LFPA essentially provides them an on ramp to institutional markets – in particular, food service management companies that operate dining facilities for hospitals, universities, public schools, and corporate cafeterias -- by ensuring they have a market for their goods. “It gives them a reason to invest in infrastructure and obtain food safety training and certifications that will allow them to be meaningful in a wholesale market in a sustainable way. It is truly a game changer.'"
Brittani Rowe, the culinary manager for the Marietta City Schools, is unafraid of innovation. “It’s something we thrive on,” she said.
Putting that philosophy into action will be tested this fall when the district’s high and middle school cafeterias introduce a notably kid-scary option: kale. The love-it-or-hate-it leafy green will be one piece of the fresh produce and meat options Rowe and her crew will receive this fall through a $60,000 grant from the Georgia Advancing Agriculture, Community, Resilience and Equity (ACRE) Collective, a new initiative co-led by nonprofit, regional food distributor The Common Market Southeast and other food and health organizations.
Bill Green, Executive Director of The Common Market Southeast, emphasized the significance of the referenced programs. "For many of the farmers we serve at The Common Market, these programs are transformative,” he said. “Historically underserved farmers have long been excluded from wholesale opportunities. Now, these farms are empowered to participate."
Our friendly and educated team is here to partner with you every step of the way. Connect today to learn of all the ways to partner with The Common Market.
"We love working with Common Market and consider them a valuable partner. It has enabled us to grow more crops and diversify."
— Curt Fifer, Sales Manager, Fifer Orchards