Augusta, GA
Nonprofits see rise in food insecurity in Augusta area
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Some families are choosing between paying a bill or putting food on their table.
The United States Department of Agriculture says the price for food-at-home was 5% higher in 2023 than in 2022, breaking the 20-year level for food price inflation at 2.5%.
In Augusta, Master’s Table Soup Kitchen is seeing a growing need every passing month. Every day hundreds of people line up for a warm meal outside of the Master’s Table Soup Kitchen.
“The food insecurity, right now, to me, it’s very scary. We are seeing a high in hunger and feeding trays. Then on the opposite end, our donations are very low,” said manager LaDonna Doleman.
As the line grows longer, leaders say yearly totals of trays served are now becoming monthly totals.
“The food prices for eggs and bread now are extreme. So now that you’re going in the grocery store a lot more families are now choosing and picking what is mandatory and what is not,” said Doleman.
In 2018, the soup kitchen served 6,000 trays in a 12-month period.
Within the first month of 2024, Doleman says they served more than 9,000 trays.
“The beginning of this year, we started out with 9,053 trays that we did for the month of January,” said Doleman.
But what they need the most, Doleman said can’t be found at the soup kitchen — it’s in the community
“For 2024, my word is help. We need help. We need those donations. We need those volunteer times,” said Doleman.
A place that forever changes lives just like Barbie Izquierdo.
“My mom was food insecure with myself and my brother. When I had children, unfortunately, I sort of fell into the same thing. When there are spaces like this, where community members can come together and feel that camaraderie, I think it’s something that definitely does help the morale of having to deal with being food insecure,” said Izquierdo.
If you would like to help, you can drop items off at the soup kitchen, donate money, or sign up here to help serve. Doleman says any one of these things will help.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Georgia Gubernational candidate Geoff Duncan made another appearance in Augusta on Monday, speaking at the IBEW Local 1579 on Reynolds Street.
Duncan is one of the three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. Duncan said when he served as lieutenant governor of the state, he fought to expand access to health care in rural communities. He said if he’s elected, he’ll focus on lowering costs in other areas.
Duncan stopped by NewsChannel 6 ahead of the campaign stop to speak about his plans.
“Look, 90% of Georgians know what they’re talking about when they want to pass commonsense gun legislation like universal background checks, red flag laws, and in-home safe storage laws. As governor, I want to lead the charge, and I want to give political cover to those Republicans that want to do the right thing, build those consensus around those bills,” Duncan said. “I hope to get some of them the cosign that legislation. Because it meets people where they’re at. It’s common sense. Look, I don’t want anybody to ever walk by a television screen and make another excuse for a mass shooting when it could have been stopped. With just common sense laws that are on the books.”
Photojournalist credit: Regynal McKie
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Golden Harvest Food Bank is partnering with local legal organizations for the 15th Annual Georgia Food Frenzy.
The fundraising competition is held in partnership with Feeding Georgia, the Office of the Georgia Attorney General, the State Bar of Georgia, and the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia.
The two-week competition runs from April 20th through May 1st, and every dollar raised stays local, supporting Golden Harvest’s work across the state of Georgia.
Groups can register at www.galegalfoodfrenzy.org/sign-up, and registration will remain open throughout the competition.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Georgia gubernatorial candidate Geoff Duncan campaigned in Augusta ahead of Election Day, making stops at two churches and meeting with local faith leaders.
The former lieutenant governor visited Good Hope Baptist Church on Cedar Street, where he spoke with the Greater Augusta Interfaith Coalition’s “Music to the Polls” group.
Duncan told us that, if elected governor, he wants to expand Medicaid, pass what he called “common-sense gun legislation,” and create more economic opportunities statewide. He also pointed to affordability concerns impacting families and businesses.
“I want to take $1.7 billion of our state’s fund and wrap it around the axle of poverty,” Duncan said, adding that he wants to lower child care costs and improve temporary assistance programs.
Duncan also stopped at Miles Memorial Church on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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