Latest news with #CBE365AffirmationAward
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
The Stop Food Truck ‘stopping by' to discuss supporting local farmers, growing your own food
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – 'Where we will stop is where we will cook…' is the motto for Carolyn Henry when it comes to the Stop Food Truck. Henry 'stops by' WJBF to discuss her delicious menu, and why it is important to support local farmers and grow your own.I'm from Maryland. I'm from Southern Maryland. So, I have been in the CSRA for about three years, so I've brought some of my Maryland roots and some of the things that I enjoy as a child. I brought them here, and I picked up a lot. Since I've been here, I've enjoyed some of the cuisine and the people that have introduced me to some of the local delicacies. It's just been great. ALSO ON WJBF: Black Lotus Cuisine providing fresh, flavorful food in CSRA You know, I was just looking to escape the jungle, so it just got very expensive in the DMV (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia area). I have little ones, so I wanted them to have a slower pace. I kind of tell people, you know, I didn't find Augusta. I actually live out in Hephzibah, and sunny Hephzibah found me. So, I looked in Aiken and just by chance, I ended up in Hephzibah. I have a great neighborhood and great neighbors. I've met lots of folks here that have been very open and welcoming, and my children are thriving. So, I'm really enjoying it inspiration for the name is simple. Where we will stop is where we will cook. So, I want to harvest locally from our local farmers and our local value added folks, and I want to add global flavor. So, I say harvest local and add global flavor, and we can stop wherever we want. I enjoyed a career with the federal government and did a lot of traveling, but one thing I noticed was that foods are the same all around the world. You get the same beans, you get the same chicken, you get the same rice, but if you add global flavors to them, to that local, whatever you find locally, it can be a whole new experience. So, I want folks here to experience global each week I try I talk to local farmers in the area. I like to work a lot with the organic farmers. So, I'll talk to Addison's Fresh Produce, Starlet Roots, Hancock Farms, etc. I like to get my local honey from Country Sweet Honey's, Black Farm Street, etc. Those are all local farmers and urban growers. If I want meat, I can go out to Lincolnton and see 3Ts Farms and you know, he's a pork producer, and I can shop locally at the South Augusta Farmers Market, or at Augusta Locally Grown, or the Saturday Market, and I want to be able to have things that are grown locally here in the CSRA. It's not just fresh because it's local, but it's also like the honey, it's local honey. So, it helps us with our immune system and things like that, and I want to support them, and I want folks to see what they purchase locally. They can do amazing things with it. ALSO ON WJBF: LaDonna Doleman serving community one meal at a time | April CBE365 Affirmation Award Winner It's important because I can keep the cost down. So, I'm the mother of many. I have a lot of children right now. I'm raising my grandchildren, and I want them to have healthy food. I want to teach them to be self-sufficient. So, we found during the hurricane we couldn't get out of our neighborhood, but we had collards, kale, and a bunch of stuff right in our backyard, and by just having our food truck, we were able to use our gas and our generators to help feed our communities, but it started with having those things right in our backyard. So, it was great, and I want to encourage kids. I was a kid. I grew up in a farming community, and one thing my father and my grandmother taught us was to be self-sufficient and to go out and grow your own. And guess what? There's no tax in my backyard, right? You know, it's a certain amount of self-satisfaction, and you're closer to earth. It just really puts you in touch with things. So, I encourage everybody to pick up some seeds and just throw them out on the ground. If you don't have time to plan them, let God do the work for you, and I guarantee you, you'll get a reward at the end of is very important. It helps our economy. There are lots of local vendors here. They need our support. You know, folks like me, if I want to keep my costs down, and if I buy locally, I can keep the costs low and the price point lower. I also want to be able to encourage growth in my community. So, if I can buy locally regardless of whether it's food, if it's plants, if it's clothes, if I want to go down to the flea market or any of the Saturday markets, I want to be able to do it locally and support them and keep the money in my community, which ultimately will help keep my community strong. It'll also help to put money into our economy through taxes to support our school system, and that's really important right now, too. We need to get our school system up, and we need to get our children year, I started to grow from what we call starts – where they are small plants that I went to a nursery to purchase. Well, this year when I called to ask for the starts, they said they didn't have any yet. They had some that were coming, but also that the cost of the starts in the seeds had really went up. So that's really important because whereas I would buy seeds in bulk, or we would buy them collectively as a group, now we're seeing that we have to put more money in the pot to get that, but I would still rather grow it myself if I have the opportunity in the end, if I grow it, I can save my seeds, and I can save money later on next year or the next harvest. I'll have a head start. So, no one saw the tariffs come in. So, whereas I have some seeds, I really want to have more, and I want to try a different variety of plants and fruits and vegetables. So, the tariffs have hit home already, and I think people are going to see that not just in the grocery store, but in your nurseries as you have children starting young, put them in the 4H Club. Like I said, Black Farm Street has a summer camp. South Augusta has a summer camp that's coming up for children that they're going to have a farm experience. My own granddaughter is a 4H Club member, and it is one of the best experiences she's having. You can also just have a summer project where you go and get some seeds. Go to the Dollar Tree. The seeds of four for a $1.25 – full packs. You cannot go wrong just allowing children to be children, get in the dirt, get them away from the electronics, get them out in the sun, and get them healthy, active, and moving. So, I would encourage folks to start there. The other thing is to look at some of the local organizations to join. If you're in a rural area, you don't have to raise cows or be in a cattle association. How about Georgia Grown? You know, subscribe to them on social media. So, you'll see, and Georgia Grown will tell you who in the local area has them. They just had a post on where the local strawberries are so that you can pick your own. Georgia Organics is another organization. We have South Augusta Farmers Market ALG. Those are all organizations that you can subscribe to online and find out more about growing and just having food locally. We need to eliminate the food insecurity and wipe that out, and we can do it from our backyard. ALSO ON WJBF: Veggie In Smoothie Bar and Bistro bringing northern flavor to Augusta They can follow us on social media. The Stop Food Truck on Facebook and Instagram, or they can give us a call. Our number is (762) 221-1331, or they can text. We do more community-based events, but we'd love to come out to your community. We'd also love to come out and interact with our young folks and teach them how to cook some of the dishes that we have to offer. The Stop Food Truck is also a part of the Community Garden which is located at Belle Terrace Presbyterian Church at 2473 Golden Camp Road in Augusta. Videography by Gary Nipple; Music by Danny Ray Smith, Jr. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
LaDonna Doleman serving community one meal at a time
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Feeding the hungry is something LaDonna Doleman, who is the recipient of the Mary L. Jones Black Affirmation Award for the month of April, says she was born to do. Doleman chats with WJBF about being grateful to have the opportunity to serve the community one meal at a time. So, I've been doing hospitality for years, but I've been with Golden Harvest [Food Bank] for going on seven years grandfather, back in the days, would go on holidays, and he would cook for the community. He would go out, and he would take a hog or whatever we had, and he would break it down and would cook it all night. Then, any and everybody on our block was able to come down and share that meal. So, it was just in my system, in my blood. So, when I came to Golden Harvest, I came as a chef but ended up as the manager. I just love serving people every day. ALSO ON WJBF: Theron Cartwright learning Augusta history while creating historical artwork | March CBE365 Affirmation Award Winner Yes, on a daily basis, we serve up to 200 to 300 people daily. For the month of March, we did a total of 5,142 a typical day starts off early in the morning. We get there and open up the building. We have our first sets of volunteers that come in at 8:30, so those volunteers will come in at 8:30, and they will have the set up. They will prepare the meal for the day. For example, when we have spaghetti, they will come in, they'll cut the bread up, they'll do the salad and what not and will get the fruit and stuff prepared. Then, from 10:30 to 12:30, we have another group of volunteers to come in, and then they will help us serve. So, then we will open up our doors at 11:00, and then we will serve all the way to important. God wants us to be cheerful givers and great neighbors, and Downtown Augusta is a desert food area. There is no grocery store downtown. MCG brought that parking lot, and so food right now is a big issue. Hunger is a big issue. So, to be able to get up every day, to be able to serve my community in a way that is safe and nutritious, I love it. ALSO ON WJBF: Xtreme Hip Hop instructor Brittany Jenkins bringing awareness to autism with stepping So, all they have to do is just go to click on volunteer experience, and then after that, they can find whatever buildings that they want to. We have other buildings also: the produce center, my building, which is the Master's Table Soup Kitchen, and we have a building in Aiken that you can also go and work at. They just select your days and select your hours that you would like to come, and they I am grateful that I'm able to do it every day. Some people don't get to serve people on an everyday basis, but for me, every day, I get to change someone's life every day. We are out to just help any and everyone that we can. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Downtown Thomson revitalization kicks off with nine funded projects
THOMSON, Ga (WJBF) – The Downtown Thomson Grant initiative was launched in December and will fund nine projects throughout the town. James Upchurch, President and CEO of Forward McDuffie, has been with Forward McDuffie for a year now and says he knew instantly he wanted to revitalize downtown. 'We realize that this is just a first step, there's a lot more to do, we plan on spending millions of dollars revitalizing Downtown Thomson, but this is a great first step, not just for the city and the county, but for the people who live and work here as well.' said Upchurch The initial funding for the grant was provided by Georgia Power with the money going toward new interior and exterior renovations. Upchurch says the response from these businesses has been wonderful to see. 'Out of the nine projects that we awarded, two of those who received awards cried when I told them, it meant a lot, as someone who is new to the community, being able to make such an instant impact, it means a lot to me.' Upchurch said. ALSO ON WJBF: Theron Cartwright learning Augusta history while creating historical artwork | March CBE365 Affirmation Award Winner The new developments will be made over the next few months to enhance the character of Thomson. Upchurch told me what he was most excited to see. 'Having more small businesses in our community, several of our buildings have been neglected for quite a while, so being able to completely revitalize some of these buildings and get small businesses in them is just going to make a huge impact in our community.' he said. This is just the beginning of a broader effort to increase economic growth and investment into downtown Thomson. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
