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Food bank, partners urge Athens-Clarke County to add direct funds for FY26 budget
Summary
Leaders of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia and neighborhood partners urged the Mayor and Commission to include direct financial support in the FY26 budget, citing rising local food insecurity and distribution shortfalls.
Erin Barger, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, told the Mayor and Commission during the May 20 public hearing that 18% of Athens-Clarke County residents are food insecure and that the bank distributed more than 15,500,000 pounds of food last year, with nearly one-third of that distributed in Athens-Clarke County.
Nut graf: The food bank and on-the-ground partners urged the commission to include a tangible appropriation in the FY26 budget, saying county investment would strengthen a network of 78 local partners and help prevent increased long-term costs in health and social services.
Barger asked commissioners to “join us in believing that it is possible to see every neighbor with enough food every day in Clark County,” and said delaying support would increase downstream costs in health, education and workforce readiness.
Speakers with direct experience distributing food described rising demand. Elder Grant of Mount Olive, who said his group has partnered with the food bank for more than 20 years, said distributions to more than 10,000 people per month are now common and that the volume of donations has decreased in recent months, leaving local partners with less to give.
Tim Johnson, a retiree and long-time neighborhood advocate, reminded the commission that the Prosperity package discussions in prior years led to a $4 million set-aside that initially funded two grant-writer positions and the Neighborhood Leaders Program; he warned that stopping ongoing funding would harm trust and program continuity.
Carl Blunt, treasurer of Family Connections Communities and Schools, said neighborhood leaders are helping residents access SNAP and other benefits and estimated that SNAP access alone from neighborhood outreach brought about $9,000,000 into the community.
Discussion and next steps: Public speakers requested that the FY26 budget include direct funding for the food bank and associated neighborhood outreach; commissioners scheduled additional budget discussions and public input sessions, with the final FY26 budget vote set for June 10, 2025.
Ending: The commission did not take a budget vote at the May 20 session; public hearings on the FY26 budget were scheduled for May 22 (work session), June 3 (public input) and June 10 (final vote).
