Shakela Williams had a vision for bringing healthy food and healthcare resources to more people in Augusta.
The Community Impact Specialist for Wellstar Augusta met with local leaders who brainstormed to come up with a way to help improve the wellness resources available to people in need, Williams said.
On Wednesday, it became a reality.
The new Wellstar Augusta Mobile Market was open, and volunteers were at the Hub for Community Innovation on Chaffee Street near Augusta University, handing out boxes of shelf-stable, fresh, locally grown, and healthy food to 100 people who had registered for the service. Volunteers delivered the boxes to the participants’ vehicles.
They were also given information about where to find available resources to develop a healthy lifestyle.
Wellstar Health System, along with Golden Harvest Food Bank and Augusta Locally Grown, is working to provide a more connected approach to supporting community health by bringing together healthcare, hunger relief, and local food systems.
The monthly delivery is limited to 100 households that pre-register. Those wishing to learn can visit www.augustalocallygrown.org.
Participation requires that recipients participate in some of the nutrition programs, like cooking classes that cover many topics, such as canning food, alternative cooking methods when there’s no stove (griddles, air fryers), gardening, and many more, said Diane Kerekinich, operations manager, and Chuck Simpson, operations director for Augusta Locally Grown.
Those and many more are taught at the HUB. Class participants also can earn points toward purchasing fresh food at the Locally Grown Farmers Market, Simpson said. The HUB Farmers Market is open from 4-7 p.m. on Thursdays and is open to the public.
The Mobile Market is set up to assist patients and participants with partner programs and clinics. The initial outreach will be focused through Harrisburg Healthcare, which is Golden Harvest’s hunger relief partner at the Hub for Community Innovation, according to a news release from Golden Harvest.
A $50,000 award from the TD Jakes Foundation to the Wellstar Foundation helped fund the launch of the project, according to the release.
Jennifer Miller covers food and business for The Augusta Chronicle. She can be reached at JMiller@usatodayco.com.
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