Augusta Locally Grown
A Community is Healthiest When it Feeds Itself
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
More than two-third of all deaths in the nation are caused by diet-related diseases and cost $1 trillion annually. Studies show that accessibility to fresh foods at farmers markets may increase fruit and vegetable consumption and improve public health through positive community interactions. More studies show that gardening also increases vegetable consumption. Yet it is rare to hear a physician prescribe attendance at a farmers market to manage diabetes, or gardening to lower blood pressure. There is a disconnection between America’s healthcare and its local food systems, particularly in Augusta, GA. The rate of diabetes among Augusta’s adults measures double the national average; obesity is also higher than average. Augusta’s local farmers are significantly older than average, and 57% of the farms in Richmond County made less than $2500 in 2017. Augusta’s struggling local food system and alarming health statistics do not align with the city’s prominence as a health sciences campus.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Farmers Market Management
Augusta Locally Grown manages local farmers markets and implements good-food education programs at those markets. Our Farmers Market Management includes:
* new farmer market training & support
* new farmer recruitment & rural outreach
* cooking demos & nutrition education at markets
* EBT/SNAP doubling program at markets
* fruit & veggie prescription program at markets
* gardening education at markets
* featured farmer program at markets
* children's good-food activities at markets
* student internships
* Farmer Business Programs
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total dollar value of payments to farmers of target crop sold as a result of the nonprofit's efforts
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Farmers Market Management
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of new clients within the past 12 months
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Augusta Locally Grown aims to improve access to food grown locally and to improve the quality of the food consumed locally by people throughout the Central Savannah River Area. Goals include:
* increase the number of local farmers who are growing for the local community
* increase the economic prosperity of local farmers through sales at farmers markets, restaurants and institutions
* maintain programs that help make the freshest foods affordable for all income levels
* increase awareness of the benefits of farmers markets & community gardens
* increase volunteer involvement in all aspects of the local food system
* maintain a high quality of learning experiences for student interns from high school through post-grad
* maintain and build programs with partner organizations to teach gardening and cooking education to people of all ages and backgrounds
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Augusta Locally Grown has always prided itself on its ability to partner with other, more established organizations. In this way, we are able to keep our own bricks-and-mortar costs down while also ensuring that the urgency of improving our local food system is a widely shared endeavor. Specifically Augusta Locally Grown seeks to:
* continue to manage and improve farmers markets in partnership with local farmers and neighborhood partners
* continue to manage and improve trainings and market accessibility for new farmers
* continue to manage and improve adult gardening & plant-based cooking programs
* continue to manage and improve youth gardening & plant-based cooking programs
* continue to engage people in workshops and tours on local farms
* continues to recruit volunteers & interns and provide them with high quality good-food learning experiences
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Augusta Locally Grown is highly regarded for its unique community education efforts and willingness to work with many different kinds of groups to make things happen. We are a strong community of talented subject matter experts on topics ranging from agriculture and horticulture, to culinary expertise, nutrition accessibility and food justice. Thousands of local people have contributed to our volunteer efforts in the city and at farms throughout the region. We have the potential to build a strong data base from which to draw support. At this time, Augusta Locally Grown needs to build its administrative capacity in order to maximize the good will it has grown.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since our founding in 2008, we have:
* started and maintained three local farmers markets and consulted on the start up of several more
* worked with and provided market access to more than 100 local farmers from within 100 miles of Augusta
* tracked local food income created by our farmers markets
* tracked local farm successes and challenges, including those that led to farm closings
* coupled more than 25 farmers with local restaurants and other institutions
* engaged more than 10,000 people at local farmers markets
* engaged more than 12,000 people on social media supportive of a local foods movement
* engaged more than 650 SNAP ED participants in gardening & healthy cooking education programs with the Department of Health
* engaged more than 160 local families in a Fruit & Veggie Prescription Program that showed overall increase in veggie consumption
* engage more than 3000 volunteers in community teaching gardens, farm work days, and other good-food education efforts
* engaged more than 1000 school-age children in gardening and good-food education programs
* maintained 7 teaching gardens throughout Richmond County year-round
* maintained partnerships with dozens of other community organizations throughout the CSRA to promote a better local food system
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
need to be creative to collect farmers market attendance feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Augusta Locally Grown
Board of directorsas of 07/27/2023
Dr Karen Phelps
Eisenhower Army Medical Center
Term: 2024 - 2023
Sharica Brookins
Remote Renal Care
Deen Seehusen
Augusta University
Jordan Bell
Attorney
Amy Graci
Golden Harvest Food Bank
Michelle Davis
Attorney
Kyle McCloud
Small Business Owner
Dawn Cardona
Self Employed
Nadia Lee
Augusta University
Kim Loomer
Augusta University
Ryan Waggy
Amy Christian
Dickinson Architects
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
No data
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/03/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.