Concrete Jungle Athens Teams Up for Root Vegetable Pick

Concrete Jungle Athens is a nonprofit that has operated its Athens branch since 2019. The organization works on food security and food waste in the Athens-Clarke County area by organizing volunteers to glean unwanted produce from farms and partnering with local grocery stores and organizations to collect produce unlikely to be sold. Through new partnerships, the group is on track to exceed last year's donations by 20%. One recent connection is with Abby Jackson of Blackhawkflyfishing and Abby J's Gourmet. Jackson is a Georgia Grown entrepreneur and a Flavor of Georgia award winner. She is hosting Concrete Jungle Athens for a root vegetable pick on November 14. All produce gathered will be donated to the Foodbank of Northeast Georgia. These partnerships matter as federal legislative reductions to programs like SNAP and WIC disproportionately affect the county, where roughly a quarter of the population is under the poverty line living within food deserts. Concrete Jungle has redistributed 23,414 pounds of produce that would have gone to waste and prevented 5.88 million metric tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere this year. The group also offers Produce Education & Enjoyment Loop workshops and farmer support workdays. For more information, visit concrete-jungle.org/athens-branch/ or @concretejungleath on Instagram.

Via Athens CEO: https://athensceo.com/news/2026/10/concrete-jungle-athens-partners-local-gourmet-fly-fishing-pro-root-vegetable-pick/