Augusta, GA

Hurricane Helene left a devastating trail in Augusta. Food banks are trying to help.

Published

1 month ago

October 17, 2024

Hurricane Helene left a devastating trail in Augusta. Food banks are trying to help.

Federal agricultural officials visited with food bank organizers this week in Augusta to discuss long-term efforts for fighting food insecurity amid ongoing Hurricane Helene recovery.

U.S. Deputy of Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Torres Small participated in a roundtable at Golden Harvest Food Bank, highlighting the nonprofit’s work providing food and support to local families in Augusta and surrounding communities.

“At USDA, it is our job to get as much help as quickly as possible to as many people as possible in the wake of this storm,” Torres Small said in a news release. “I applaud the work of our local partners on the ground, such as Golden Harvest Food Bank, which is working tirelessly to support their neighbors and ensure that those experiencing the impact of Hurricane Helene get the food they need.”

Lack of access to sufficient food to live a healthy life, or “food insecurity,” is a significant problem nationwide and locally, especially for children. The latest available data shows that 13.5%, or 18 million, of households in the U.S. experienced food insecurity last year.

Amy Breitmann, executive director of Golden Harvest Food Bank, said child hunger in Augusta and surrounding areas had already reached crisis levels before Hurricane Helene left its destructive path through Georgia on Sept. 27, but the storm has likely worsened the issue.

“As an organization, we had one in four children that were food insecure before this disaster in our service area, and one in seven individuals. That was the highest rate of food insecurity in 15 years, prior to the disaster,” Breitmann said. “So we don’t know what these new numbers are going to look like, but data is simply a story of the pain of our community.”

In a Facebook post, Breitmann also said the discussion during Torres Small’s visit was “yet another reminder” of the national scope of Hurricane Helene’s devastation.

“At times you could hear a pin drop,” Breitmann said as she further described the roundtable. “The power in the room of collaboration, sharing collective pain and grief, stories of what we’ve been seeing and what we need to continue to support our neighbors was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”

How the food bank is lessening the pain of Hurricane Helene

Last year, the food bank provided 14 million meals and 3.7 million pounds of fresh produce for more than 557,000 families, according to a 2024 impact report provided by the nonprofit. But during the first two weeks after Hurricane Helene, the food bank distributed over 600,000 meals and 1.3 million servings of water to communities affected by the storm.

Breitmann is worried about the layers of problems in additional expenses brought about by the hurricane and how that would hurt vulnerable families and low-income earners, the residents most susceptible to food insecurity.

“When you’ve got one in four children hungry to begin with, and then you add on top of this people that have lost everything in their refrigerators and freezers, many have lost their homes, many don’t have fences and backyards, and they have major expenses to remove trees,” Breitmann said. “We have a wide swath of our service area that still does not have electricity, and especially those folks in rural counties where they may be on well water, then they don’t have water as well.”

But Golden Harvest Food Bank’s community support efforts have been bolstered by Feeding America, a hunger relief network serving more than 200 food banks nationwide. Numerous food bank partners have sent food and staff to assist in the Augusta area, including the Atlanta Community, Chattanooga Community, Georgia Mountain, North Georgia, and South Carolina’s Harvest Hope food banks, among others.

Local partnerships with United Way, the YMCA and the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area also have played a key role in supporting Golden Harvest’s recovery efforts.

“We came up from Atlanta, brought down a couple of truckloads of food, and we go wherever they need us,” said Mendez Baker with the Atlanta Community Food Bank. “I just got word that we’re going to Tampa Bay in a couple of weeks, too.”

More: Here’s how Golden Harvest Food Bank is expanding to fight the growing hunger problem

Staff for the food banks said that, in response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the Feeding America network had deployed at least 166 truckloads across seven states as of Tuesday.

Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, said that long-term relief efforts will need the combined coordination of community resources along with assistance from federal, state and local governments.

“With food insecurity on the rise before the storms, people in impacted areas are under immense strain and food banks are struggling to meet the rising needs of their communities,” Babineaux-Fontenot said. “It will take continued support from USDA and FEMA to ensure people have access to nutritious food as they begin recovering from the storm.”

In the meantime, Breitmann knows that the road to recovery in front of Augusta will be a lengthy one. She told The Augusta Chronicle that 110 mph winds swept through her backyard the morning the hurricane hit, something “that just doesn’t happen in Augusta, Georgia.”

“There was so much devastation in all 24 of our counties that we serve,” Breitmann said. “My husband is currently with a chainsaw in my daughter’s backyard, trying to clean up the damage there. And my story is no different than thousands of stories across our area.”

The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service announced this week that an estimated 982,930 households in 50 Georgia counties could potentially qualify for the department’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or “D-SNAP.”

The USDA also has issued flexibility waivers for various nutrition programs in Georgia so that emergency meal providers reach more people more quickly. Such flexibilities include automatically replacing SNAP benefits for households in areas where many lost food, allowing households to purchase prepared foods with SNAP benefits where the hurricane has left many without a place to prepare food, and allowed local organizations to provide meals to children while schools were closed.

More: Here’s how Augusta residents can check eligibility for Hurricane Helene relief funds

“USDA is committed to making sure that families, farmers and communities impacted by recent hurricanes get the support they need, including help with grocery expenses as people grapple with significant disruption to their lives,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement Tuesday. “The Biden-Harris Administration, including USDA, will do everything in our power to help you respond, recover and rebuild — no matter how long it takes.”

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Augusta, GA

WATCH LIVE: 1 killed in early morning shooting on Highland Avenue

Published

3 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

WATCH LIVE: 1 killed in early morning shooting on Highland Avenue

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A man was killed early Thursday in a shooting on Highland Avenue, the latest victim in an outbreak of violent crime with a toll that’s nearing 200 in a little over two years across the CSRA.

Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen identified the victim as Chavious Kimmerlin, 50.

At 7:13 am, deputies say they responded to the 500 block of Highland Avenue to investigate a report of gunshots.

Upon arrival, deputies say they found the victim, who had suffered at least one gunshot wound.

The victim was pronounced deceased on the scene by the coroner, according to deputies.

He lived at the home where he was found.

An autopsy will be conducted.

At the scene, yellow crime tape surrounded a white house.

There was a marked Richmond County Sheriff’s Office car and three unmarked cars in the turning lane in front of the house on Highland Avenue.

Investigators were still on the scene at 9:30 a.m. and there is no additional information available at this time, authorities said.

The shooting comes amid a two-year outbreak of violent crime that’s claimed more than 180 lives across the CSRA.

Cities large and small have been affected on both sides of the Savannah River. But as the largest community in the region, Augusta has been hit especially hard.

Authorities have blamed much of the problem on gangs.

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Augusta, GA

Cannedy and Fletcher lead Fayetteville State over Augusta 79-62 – Fayetteville State University Athletics

Published

11 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Cannedy and Fletcher lead Fayetteville State over Augusta 79-62 – Fayetteville State University Athletics

AUGUSTA, GA — Fayetteville State secured a decisive victory over Augusta with a final score of 79-62 on November 20, 2024, at the George A. Christenberry Fieldhouse in Augusta, GA.

Ezekiel Cannedy led the charge for Fayetteville State, scoring 23 points, including five three-pointers, and grabbing four rebounds. Tairell Fletcher added 22 points, shooting 10-17 from the field, and contributed three steals. Caleb Simmons was a force on both ends, scoring 17 points, securing nine rebounds, and making two assists. Myles Pierre provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, including a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line.

Despite a strong effort from Augusta’s Demitri Gardner, who scored 21 points and hit three three-pointers, Fayetteville State’s balanced attack and solid defense proved too much for Augusta to overcome. The win improved Fayetteville State’s record to 4-1, while Augusta fell to 0-4.

After falling behind 24-23, Fayetteville State went on an 8-0 run with 6:54 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Cannedy, to take a 31-24 lead and finish the first half with a 40-33 advantage. The Broncos capitalized on seven Augusta turnovers in the period, turning them into 11 points on the other end of the floor.

Following intermission, FSU kept widening that lead, expanding it to 73-60 before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Myles Pierre’s jumper, to grow the lead to 79-60 with 1:10 to go in the contest. The Jaguars narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Broncos still cruised the rest of the way for the 79-62 win. Fayetteville State capitalized on seven Augusta turnovers in the period, collecting 10 points off those turnovers.

Fayetteville State shot 49.2% from the field, making 29 of their 59 attempts, while Augusta shot 46.4%, making 26 of their 56 attempts. From beyond the arc, FSU hit 6 of 16 three-pointers (37.5%), whereas Augusta struggled, making only 3 of 17 (17.6%). At the free-throw line, Fayetteville State was efficient, converting 15 of 18 attempts (83.3%), while Augusta made 7 of 12 (58.3%). Fayetteville State outrebounded Augusta 33 to 28, with 8 offensive and 25 defensive rebounds compared to Augusta’s 7 offensive and 21 defensive rebounds. Fayetteville State had 8 assists, 8 turnovers, 11 steals, and 2 blocks, while Augusta recorded 9 assists, 14 turnovers, 7 steals, and 5 blocks. Fayetteville State’s efficient shooting and strong defensive play were key factors in their victory. They capitalized on Augusta’s turnovers, scoring 21 points off turnovers compared to Augusta’s 11.

FSU will host USC Aiken on Tuesday, November 26 at 7 pm in the Capel Arena.

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Augusta, GA

Finding Solutions: Salvation Army programs help families during holidays

Published

18 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Finding Solutions: Salvation Army programs help families during holidays

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Salvation Army in both Augusta and Aiken kicked off the holiday season with the Angel Tree Program and Red Kettle Campaign on Wednesday.

Both organizations say the need is greater this year compared to last and are calling on the community for help in supporting so many people.

You can help provide Christmas to kids in need this year through the Angel Tree Program.

Major Jonathan Raymer with the Salvation Army of Augusta says there are 500 more kids on the list this year compared to last.

“We wanted to lean in and help as many as we could with the aftermath of Helene and so with the Angel Tree program you can reach out to us and get an Angel Tree tag which represents a child you can adopt and go and shop for,” said Raymer.

Angel Trees are up across the CSRA as well as red kettles, where you can donate in support of the Salvation Army’s mission.

“All of that money stays local in fact that money goes to support our Center of Hope which is our shelter and over the last two years we’ve gotten right at 300 people into permanent housing who have gone through our shelter,” said Raymer.

Rose Brown benefitted from this.

She spent time at the Center of Hope and was able to get permanent housing from the resources given.

“Everything I feel is a stepping stone. You use that to get ahead to move from where you are and a big part of that was for me the Salvation Army, the church, the spiritual guidance, and the love, and the service they show,” said Brown.

Across the river, the Salvation Army of Aiken is seeing an increase in need as well.

Captain Michael Good says there are 2,100 kids on the list — 800 more compared to last year.

“So many of our children live poverty day in and day out so at least for Christmas we want them to feel as if they are cared for and seen,” said Good.

Good says they are in need of more local businesses to host an Angel Tree at their location.

They currently have about 100 angels that have not left their office.

This is the first time for Cold Creek Nurseries in Aiken County to have an Angel Tree.

Linda McKebie, store manager of Cold Creek Nurseries, said: “Words can’t describe the need for children who are out there who need a little something for Christmas who don’t have anything for Christmas, so we just want to help with those kids.”

Good says it’s important to support the Angel Tree Program and Red Kettle Campaign.

“It goes to fund programs like our emergency shelter, homelessness prevention programs, food pantry, our boys and girls club and that’s why it’s such an important thing to understand those funds go to more than just Christmas efforts, but year-round to impact this community,” said Good.

COMING UP

For Thanksgiving: Salvation Army extends invitation

The Salvation Army will be offering Thanksgiving dinner to go from 5:30-6 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Center of Hope, 1384 Greene St.
Shelf-stable food boxes are also being offered to thos in need. Visit salvationarmyaugusta.org and complete a “contact us” form.

In tandem with the Angel Tree program, the Salvation Army is launching its 2024 Red Kettle Campaign. This campaign is a vital fundraising initiative that supports life-changing programs throughout the year, including food assistance, emergency shelter, and disaster response.

The Salvation Army says their goal this year is $235,000.

“The Red Kettle campaign is a critical source of funding that allows us to meet the needs of our community, especially during times of crisis,” said Major Jonathan Raymer of The Salvation Army of Augusta. “The funds raised help ensure local families have the support they need all year long.”

Jonathan says these campaigns are possible because of the community’s generosity.

“Always grateful to the community. Their amazing generosity. Their care. Grateful for all that they do. We can’t do things like the Angel Tree or the Red Kettle campaign without their help,” he said.

The 2024 Red Kettle campaign runs through December 24, 2024, with kettles placed at major retailers, including Bass Pro Shop, Belk, Food Lion, Hobby Lobby, Kroger, Sam’s Club, and Walmart locations across Augusta, Evans, Grovetown, Hephzibah, Martinez, and North Augusta. Community contributions will help sustain vital programs for individuals and families facing hardship year-round.

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