This is a weekly feature called Community Notebook, filled with snippets of information, conversations, and reporting about the communities where we work. Canopy Atlanta Fellows and other community residents may contribute to this weekly reporting. The Community Notebook is featured in our newsletter Voices — sign up to find this in your inbox every week.
Bankhead: Local fresh veggies
By Genia Billingsley, Bankhead Fellow and CEB Member
Spring is my happy place. While Atlanta isn’t known for brutal winters, we’re lucky to experience all four seasons—sometimes all in one day, as the locals like to say. However mild the winter is, I still look forward to spring. I enjoy the ground thawing, the leaves turning green, and the spring vegetables.
Access to fresh food can be a challenge for people along Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway (formerly known as Bankhead). With the nearest major grocery store 3 to 5 miles away, a simple trip for fresh vegetables can turn into a 20-minute drive with Atlanta traffic. In spring, we have other options thanks to those committed to urban farms.
One such hidden gem is the garden and market place at Good Samaritan Health Center at 1015 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. This seasonal market is minutes away and provides fresh options, all naturally grown in a one-acre garden on the premises. The prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly, and SNAP users get 50 percent off. The front of the market can be seen from the street and can be accessed by walking up. If you’re driving, it’s best to enter the parking lot and drive around and access via the courtyard.
Pro tip: Sign up for the weekly mailing list and get a weekly list of the available produce.
The market is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
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