Digital Storytelling

Athens organizations combat food insecurity with healthier options

February 11, 2020February 11, 2020 Mary Margaret StewartAmeriCorps VISTA, Athens, Campus Kitchen at UGA, Food Aid, Food Bank, Food Insecurity, Health, poverty, UGA0 comment

ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY –– According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 34 percent of Athens-Clarke County residents are living in poverty, resulting in many families lacking access to nutritious and affordable food options. Living in poverty doesn’t imply food insecurity, though, as poverty is measured using an annual income threshold, whereas food insecurity is measured based on reliable access to food. While Athens-Clarke County has a poverty rate of over 30 percent, 22 percent of Athens residents are food insecure, according to 2019 County Health Rankings. Local food provision organizations such as Food2Kids,…

News Social Issue

Is Venezuela Losing Its Fight for Survival?

September 21, 2019February 13, 2020 Dito MontanaChavez, Guaido, Health, Human Rights Violations, Humanitarian Crisis, Military Regime, Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela3 Comments

ATHENS, GEORGIA– Roughly 4 million refugees have left Venezuela since 2014 due to the crippling humanitarian crisis, making it the largest exodus from a Latin American country in recent history, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Decades of severe economic mismanagement by the military dictatorship has left many Venezuelans struggling to survive. Millions of people lack access to fundamental necessities like food and medicine as President Nicolas Maduro continues to restrict the flow of humanitarian aid into the country. Three out of four citizens reported…

Community Health News Organizations

ACCPD works to improve mental health response procedures

May 17, 2019August 27, 2019 Amy ScottAdvantage Behavioral Health Systems, Athens, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, crisis intervention, Georgia, John Radford, Katie McFarland, mental health, Mental Illness, Robie Cochran, suicide prevention0 comment

Story written and produced by: Amy Scott, Alexandria Ellison and Ashlyn Webb ATHENS, Ga. — Athens-Clarke County Police linked approximately 140 citizens back to mental health resources in 2018, continuing their 2016 initiative to lower the incarceration rate of the mentally ill. This is due in part by the ACCPD’s 2016 mental health collaboration and Georgia’s Crisis Intervention Team training.The mental health collaboration is a partnership between ACCPD, the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, Advantage Behavioral Health and UGA’s Fanning Institute. The collaboration was created to “examine policies, enhance interdepartmental communications,…

Environment Health News

Athens Set to Become Wetter, Hotter, Experts Say

May 14, 2019May 14, 2019 Sarah WaruiAthens-Clarke County, Climate Change, Environment, Health, sustainability, University of Georgia0 comment

ATHENS, Ga. — Athens climate is becoming more extreme, with hotter and wetter days ahead in response to human-induced climate change, according to researchers. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that Athens experienced its highest rainfall average in 2018 in the last 20 years. Rain averaged almost 70 inches in 2018 compared to the 46-inch rainfall average from 1981 to 2010. These aren’t the only expected weather changes. “The latest research that we have on what should happen in the southeastern United States, including Athens, is that we will…

The Wesley Foundation Attracts Thousands of Students for Their Weekly Services

May 13, 2019May 14, 2019 Emma TolandAthens, UGA, UGA Students, University of Georgia0 comment

ATHENS, Ga. — The Wesley Foundation, the largest ministry on the University of Georgia’s campus, is attracting 1,200 to 2,000 students per week for their weekly Wednesday night service at Tate Grand Hall. For many, college is the first time students are away from friends and family, so they seek out communities that make them feel welcome. Wesley understands this desire for community and uses it to garner student involvement, according to their mission statement. “I did Freshley last year, but wasn’t super involved because I always had something going…

Athens health scores reflect more than food quality

May 13, 2019May 22, 2019 Ashley SorianoAthens-Clarke County, Environmental Health Department, Fuzzy's Taco Shop, Health inspection, Health violation, Mama Jewel's Kitchen0 comment

ATHENS, Ga. — Local restaurant health scores don’t only reflect food quality and kitchen cleanliness, a fact that restaurant owners and managers alike wish the public knew more about. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, health inspection violations fall into two categories: risk factor violations, such as proper cooking temperatures, and good retail practice violations, such as building infrastructure. “It’s really not the score itself. It’s the violations. You can have multiple good retail practice violations that can get somebody into a B score, but overall they may…

Education

Reuse Store Saves Teachers Hundreds in Impoverished Communities

December 11, 2018May 13, 2019 Charlotte NorsworthyEducation, low income, poverty, recycle, reuse, school, sustainable0 comment

ATHENS, Ga. — Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division seeks to reduce the cost of school supplies for public school teachers through its Teacher Reuse Store, a facility that offers recycled school materials to local teachers for free. The store, now in its thirteenth year, is housed in the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials, and is now open three times a week. “In the first year, we collected over eight tons of material,” Stacee Farrell, executive director of Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful and leader of the team that managed the reuse…

Government News

Girtz’s Environmental Plan Sparks Concern for Low-Income Families

December 10, 2018May 13, 2019 Caitlin Jettcommunity, Environmental Awareness, Plastic Bags0 comment

ATHENS, Ga. — Some residents of Athens-Clarke County fear that a plan on plastic bags could cause a negative impact on low-income families. Kelly Girtz, mayor-elect of Athens-Clarke, released an environmental plan that includes a ban or fee on plastic bag use in the county. While Girtz mentioned that he will ensure that low-income families will not be burdened by this plan, there are still concerns lingering among Athens-Clarke residents. Asynaka Willis, business account manager at Haven, a company that offers services such as document printing to web hosting, in Athens, Georgia, an…

Experts: Five Minutes of Meditation Per Day Enough

December 5, 2018May 13, 2019 Donovan HarrisAthens, barre, meditation, mental health, Mental Health Awareness, Millennials, mindfulness, stress, therapy, yoga0 comment

ATHENS, Ga- Those who practice daily meditation say they reap the benefit of having fewer stressful days, even with just a couple of minutes of daily dedication. Becky Smith, the owner of Above Barre Athens, started incorporating a few minutes of meditation into the barre classes at her studios to help gym-goers de-stress. For about two to five minutes at the end of class, women are encouraged to meditate and clear their minds. “We have such busy lives. It’s just good to have those few moments to yourself,” Smith says. Above…

Uncategorized

Athens Farmers Market Helps Combat Local Food Desert

December 4, 2018May 13, 2019 Eleanor CashAthens, farmers market, local, sustainability0 comment

ATHENS, GA- Combatting the food desert in Athens has become a goal of the Athens Farmers Market, which has led to the establishment of two major programs to help curb the issue. The first program, Double SNAP, is an extension of the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program program which provides monthly supplements for qualifying members who purchase nutritious food. At the farmers market, the SNAP dollars are doubled, meaning that participants will receive double what they have spent on food in market tokens. The second program, the Fruit and Vegetable…