Food service employees in Dahlonega say that food waste is an issue at restaurants in Dahlonega’s town square, but Georgia Mountain Food Bank has offered an alternative to throwing out food. 

A server at Caper’s on the Square who says that food waste is hard to avoid when operating a restaurant. “If someone doesn’t want a box for their food, or if they just don’t like it, it gets scraped into the trash.” She continues, “I try to bring them a box without asking whether they want one, just so they’re encouraged to take home the rest of their food.”

While this method offers some form of resolution, an average of 119 billion pounds of food still goes in the trash yearly in the United States, according to Feeding America, an American anti-hunger organization. 

Georgia Mountain Food Bank, based in Gainesville, serves Lumpkin, Union, Dawson, Forsyth and Hall counties. “We need the help of individuals, local restaurants and food service businesses as well as corporate sponsors,” says GMFB’s website. It continues to state,”whether it’s a few canned goods, contributions from the food industry or even seeds for a garden, food donations are the cornerstone of what we do.” 

GMFB’s Annual Impact Report from 2022 says that 1 in 8 Georgians currently face issues affording food, “with the cost of groceries up by 10%, and the cost of eggs, poultry and dairy up 14%.” Through donations, they were able to provide 5,224,365 meals over the course of 2022. 

The University of North Georgia’s Historic Vickery House also offers a food pantry that is open to students, faculty and staff. The food pantry is not university funded, but is funded through donations. All you need to access the food pantry is your UNG ID, and then you are able to walk through the pantry as a supermarket, taking anything you need. They offer other supplies like paper towels, toilet paper, toothpaste, etc. 

If you or someone you know needs help affording groceries, you find an agency near you here. If you would like to find out how you can become a partner with GMFB, you can find information here.