FARM Rx: Wholesome Wave Georgia’s place based Food for Health Program in Athens, Georgia.
Brady’s Story
Brady grew up in Watkinsville, GA, and was introduced to gardening by his grandmother, Mimo, who had a large vegetable garden in her backyard. When he was 12 years old, he remembers being photographed for the Oconee county paper holding one of her prize-winning tomatoes while she stood proudly behind him. His parents loved to cook; they’d grill steaks to eat with squashes and peppers from Mimo’s garden, and, for his extended family who frequently visited, large feasts of pot roasts and casseroles and platters of southern fried chicken.
From these sun-filled experiences in his grandmother’s garden and parent’s kitchen grew Brady’s love for food. He ate what he wanted to eat without concern about portions or quantity. And he remembers standing in front of the mirror as a young teen, thinking: “I don’t want to be this big. I don’t want to be the big kid.” This dissonance– finding great pleasure in food but it being inextricably linked to his negative body image– was a difficult issue for Brady to navigate. He has spent his adult life trying to find the balance between enjoying food and treating his body with love and respect; the heart of this, he’s realized, is back at his grandmother’s home garden and the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and corn that she grew. It’s to find pleasure in the diversity of local produce, and the FARM Rx program has given Brady the resources and support needed to do so.
Porch Chat Interviewer: How has this increased access to fresh food impacted you and your health?
Brady: “Even when we do a garden, we eat so much more produce because we have it available. We eat so much more fresh and nutritious stuff because we have it available. And before FARM Rx, I did not feel like I had that option available in the community. That’s not something I had access to. I think that, you know, the FARM Rx program has opened my eyes to what’s even out there, even after I graduate from the program.”
Porch Chat Interviewer: How do you prepare what you bring home from the market?
Brady: “I like to make juices. I can get fresh greens and fresh fruit from the farmers market and already know what I’m gonna do with it. It’s part of my daily routine. I make one of them
everyday to go with me. It’s usually my lunch. It’s probably my favorite just because it doesn’t have to be complicated. One of my struggles is eating on the go and so this helps stop me from picking up a gas station pizza.”
Porch Chat Interviewer: What was your experience taking the SNAP-Ed classes?
Brady: “It was very eye-opening. Everything from the June Food Talk classes to the pickling class. I had a really good experience with the classes. I learned a lot of stuff and a lot of stuff was refreshed. Food is not bad. Food is good, better, and best. I have to remind myself of that.”
About FARM Rx
FARM Rx is the Athens-based Food for Health program that works in partnership with Wholesome Wave Georgia, St. Mary’s Hospital, and the Athens Farmers Market. The program runs for eight months (April to November) and provides participants, and their families, with weekly allotments of tokens which they can use to purchase locally grown fruits, vegetables, and edible plants from the Athens Farmers Market. Participants also attend nutrition education classes that UGA SNAP-ED hosts. This program serves those suffering from food insecurity and diet-related illnesses, with the idea that improving both food access and nutrition education will improve participant’s health and overall quality of life.
About Wholesome Wave Georgia Food for Health
Wholesome Wage Georgia’s Food For Health promotes affordable access to produce and healthy eating in underserved communities through partnerships with healthcare providers, community organizations, and retailers. Healthcare providers give families innovative prescriptions that can be spent on fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets.
This Porch Chat was conducted and written by Maya Alandete.
The 2024 Athens Food for Health Program was made possible through the support of UnitedHealthcare’s Empowering Heath Grant.
