Stories

Between teaching yoga, working at a local school as an assistant teacher and yoga/art teacher, raising her daughter, and working as a translator and market ambassador at the Woodstock Farm Fresh Market, Melanie Pineda stays pretty busy in her community. Melanie was born in Georgia but grew up in South America. She moved to Woodstock around 12 years ago and…

Denise Warfield shops for 50% off fresh local produce with SNAP and Georgia Fresh For Less at Lithonia Farmers Market. On a typical day at the Lithonia Farmers Market, you will find Mr. and Ms. Brother Mohammad selling their sweetest onions, Keeyah Gardens pushing their homegrown pickles, and you will not have to go far to also find Denise Warfield…

She serves as a FoodCorps leader at the Wylde Center, connecting kids to healthy food, so they can lead healthier lives and reach their full potential. Suzie’s passion for good food began to grow during her college years. After bouncing around between school, Palestine, and Israel, she left college to work on a farm in Virginia. These experiences shaped her…

Fresh produce purchased by Georgia Fresh For Less participant Stephanie Baquetti at Mableton Farmers Market. Activist. Community leader. Gardener. Teacher. Mother. These are just some of the hats that Stephanie Baquetti has worn throughout her life. Her passion for nutrition and food justice began as an elementary school teacher; she personally made it her mission to feed her young students…

She was retired and living off of her Social Security, but suddenly found herself at risk of losing her home. Unfortunately, like thousands of other Gwinnett County residents, she lost her home as a result of the 2008 mortgage crisis. Nancy realized she needed help, so she turned to SNAP and affordable housing for support. Nancy had a stereotypical view…

David Weiner purchasing double the amount of local tomatoes with Georgia Fresh For Less at Cotton Mill Farmers Market. Just call David Weiner the expert on all things bugs. He was a founding member of the Integrative Pest Management Committee for the state of New York and worked as an insect control specialist for over 30 years. Through this work,…

Like millions of Georgians, Yvonne and her family are food insecure. With only $6.70 a day to spend on food, higher-priced fresh and nutritious foods are out of reach for her family. Inaccessibility of fresh, healthy food puts them at an even higher risk for chronic, diet-related disease. “Number 1: I have high blood pressure, Number 2: I have arthritis,…

The Chan family values sustainable local food, eating well to stay healthy, and family meals around the dinner table. “We’ve always believed in healthy eating,” says Chan. He attributes his family’s good health to the food they put in their bodies. With the high price of fresh, local food, he realizes they are investing in their health. He believes that…

JoHanna Biang teaches UGA students about growing their own food at UGArden. It wasn’t until high school that JoHanna Biang realized growing a spring vegetable garden with her dad and watering her grandmother’s plants could lead to her future career path. Those childhood moments inspired her to get a Masters degree in horticulture, which resulted in her becoming the full-time…

Marlo Thomas-Grubbs uses Georgia Fresh For Less to shop for fresh zucchini and squash for herself and her grandchildren at Veggie Park Farmers Market. Marlo Thomas-Grubbs loves to step outside her door and shop for all her fresh produce at the Veggie Park Farmers Market. The market has been a wealth of information for Marlo. Here, she has learned about…

Step into the pavilion at the Athens Farmers Market and you are immediately met with the rainbow colors of fresh produce and vibrant flowers on display at the farmers’ stands, blueberry samples from Rhonda’s blueberries, and live jazz music. For customer and unofficial market ambassador, Al Marshall, this is a special place. Here, he catches up with farmers, market managers,…

Every Saturday, you can hear squeals of joy as Jan Weisman and Raylan, her 6-year old Australian shepherd, walk along the boulevard of white tents at the Monroe Farmers Market. As regulars at the market, everyone knows Jan and Raylan, particularly for their love of tomatoes. Their favorite snacks are tomatoes prepared any way, but especially homemade tomato pie, or…

Diamond Chamberlain with her box of Gala apples at Mulberry Market. If you ever find yourself walking through Mulberry Market in Macon, Georgia on a sunny Wednesday morning, you will find vendors selling everything from fresh herbs to blueberries. You will also come across Diamond, hunting down the perfect bushel of Gala apples. A SNAP recipient and mother, Diamond has…

Rachel credits SNAP and the Georgia Fresh For Less program at Athens Farmers Market for helping her get by between careers in the pandemic. A year ago, Rachel Marts wouldn't have guessed that she'd feel most at home at the Athens Farmers Market, but when the pandemic hit, everything changed. A 29-year-old native of Columbus, GA, Rachel was working full…

Bobby and Chelsea Losh-Jones are young farmers in Middle Georgia that are passionate about providing good food for their community, but struggle to do the same for their family. With their baby on the way, Chelsea and Bobby saw SNAP as a way to feed their growing household. The husband-wife duo graduated from Georgia College before starting Babe & Sage…

I ran for WWG because their mission to make fresh, healthy, locally grown food affordable for all Georgians resonates deeply with me. After visiting the doctor in 2022, I realized I’d let my health slide – I had both high cholesterol and prediabetes. While it may sound like I was eating my weight in chocolate ice cream, my diet was…