To volunteer with Georgia Organics: www.georgiaorganics.org
To volunteer with The Giving Kitchen: www.thegivingkitchen.org
A yearly festival that showcases the South’s most renowned chefs and local farmers brought over 1,500 people to The Goat Farm on Sunday to raise money for two causes that are close to Atlanta’s restaurant industry and the local community .
The Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival, started by chef Ford Fry, kicked off its sixth year and brought attention to Georgia Organics and to bring the community together with local farmers and find a connection with the food they eat. “We are attempting to break down barriers of organic food and also teach our kids about where their fruits and vegetables come from,” said Kate Klein, development coordinator of Georgia Organics.
The organization holds various programs such as “My Market Club” to introduce people to local farmers markets and launched the 5 Million Meals Campaign, a statewide effort to get 5 million meals served with locally grown food in K-12 cafeterias in the 2012-2013 school year.
For the first time, the festival also raised money for The Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit started to help provide crisis grants to members of Atlanta’s restaurant community facing unanticipated hardship. The nonprofit was started after the city’s well-known chef Ryan Hidinger was diagnosed with late stage cancer.
“We were excited to partner with them and think it is a great way for our community to be a part of the restaurant community,” said TGK’s executive director Stephanie Galer. “Whether you’re a diner, a waiter or a chef, we are all touched by the restaurant industry, and we want TGK to be an important resource for our hospitality community.”
The nonprofit is less than a year old and has already distributed over $50,000 in grants to restaurant professionals in the city. TGK gives grants to help people in the hospitality community pay rent, bills and other costs when they come across a hardship so they don’t have to worry about losing their jobs.
The festival introduces the causes to the community, but the organizations are always looking for volunteers to help year-round. Georgia Organics needs volunteers to spread the message of the organization, be volunteers in the office or embrace the outdoors at one of the many farms around Georgia.
And The Giving Kitchen wants the Atlanta community to be ambassadors for its mission, and “spread the word to people in the hospitality industry that we are here to help them through a tough time,” added Galer.
The festival raised approximately $120,000 which will benefit Georgia Organics and The Giving Kitchen.
In other news: The Fragile Kids Foundation was awarded a $125,000 grant from the James M. Cox Foundation to support the expansion of the organization's statewide medical loaned equipment program. The funds will allow the FKF to purchase 70 additional pieces of therapeutic and rehabilitative equipment, expanding its equipment inventory available for loan by 25 percent. The James M. Cox Foundation provides funding for capital campaigns and special projects in communities where the company operates. The Foundation concentrates its community support in several areas, including conservation and environment, early childhood education, empowering families and individuals for success and health.
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