Population: 95,565
Project focus: Access to foods that support healthy eating patterns
Goals:
- Identify the top two food deserts in Dougherty County
- Establish weekly mobile markets
- Increase partnership through the development of a food council
- Provide access to Dougherty Fresh Freezers
- Create a replicable model to use in other locations
Approaches and Partners
Dougherty County, with Flint River Fresh, Inc. and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, brought together the brilliant minds of its community to distribute food more equitably and educate residents through the Dougherty Fresh initiative. The initiative developed a weekly mobile market and expanded the reach of Flint River Fresh, Inc. by increasing fresh food supply and community education programs. The team educated residents on at-home and urban agriculture production techniques and food and lifestyle choices that promote health. Their "Grow Your Groceries'' program provided people with gardening materials to help jumpstart the growing, while their “Build-a-Garden” workshops provided information on how to grow your own food. They also hosted a number of community events to further encourage discourse and information sharing related to nutrition and physical wellness.
Successes (as of September 2022)
This year, the project team hosted more free workshops and garden kits which helped increase opportunities for community members to consider and choose healthier foods. They also deepened partnerships with hunger relief and community food champions serving food insecure or lower-income households to help increase the nutritional value in food giveaways and combat health equity barriers in historically marginalized neighborhoods.
Check out NACo's interviews with each of the the 10 county-based teams, including Dougherty County.