Augusta, GA

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

Published

1 year 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

Popn’ Off Gourmet Popcorn opens on Broad Street in Augusta

Published

1 hour ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Popn’ Off Gourmet Popcorn opens on Broad Street in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A new gourmet popcorn shop has opened on Broad Street, bringing a Chicago-style twist to downtown Augusta.

Popn’ Off Gourmet Popcorn and Nuts, located at 716 Broad Street next to the Miller Theater, opened late last year. Owner Sheila Jones moved to Augusta from Chicago, where she said gourmet popcorn has a strong following.

“I’m from Chicago where gourmet popcorn is kind of a big deal,” Jones said.

Specialty flavors made in house

The shop offers specialty flavors including caramel, strawberry drizzle, peppermint, Oreo, green apple, and peanut butter — all made in house. Jones said the experience starts before customers even reach the counter.

“The smell is part of the experience. Green apple, strawberry, strawberry drizzle with chocolate. We have a new peanut butter flavor I just did,” Jones said.

A business built for family

Jones said her move to Augusta and her decision to open the business were driven by her son, who is on the autism spectrum. She said she believed he would be more comfortable in Augusta and wanted to build something that would benefit him long-term.

“I wanted him to have something when he gets older. He has a job already if he wants one. He already has a business,” Jones said.

Jones said starting the business has been harder than she expected. She handles most operations herself, with some help from family. She said the purpose behind the shop keeps her motivated.

“Coming into this every day is fulfilling because I built it. I’m building it and I just wanna see how high we’ll go,” Jones said.

Popn’ Off Gourmet Popcorn and Nuts is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The shop is also holding a pop-up Saturday at noon on Gordon Highway.

Here’s a link to their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584084467886#

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Augusta, GA

Deputy fired over on-duty sex with co-worker’s wife, documents show

Published

14 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Deputy fired over on-duty sex with co-worker’s wife, documents show

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A deputy was fired for having sex with another deputy’s wife while on duty, according to personnel documents from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

And it’s not the first time his love life has raised questions − he left a job in Aiken County after a similar problem.

Sgt. Christopher Chavous was dismissed after the matter was reported by the deputy whose wife was allegedly having the relations with now-fired deputy, according to the documents.

Chavous admitted it when confronted by an investigator on Feb. 16, according to the documents.

He said he first slept with her before Christmas and had continued doing so at least one or two times a week, according to the documents.

He also admitted that he’d done so at least once while on duty, according to the documents.

The husband said he’d suspected for some time that his wife had been sleeping with another deputy, but he initially didn’t know who it was.

Eventually, the husband tracked his wife on his phone to an apartment he knew belonged to Chavous, according to the documents.

Additionally, the husband showed Sgt. Walter McNeil, who was investigating the allegations, a video he’d obtained that showed his wife standing in the doorway of the apartment while kissing Chavous.

The husband also provided additional images of his wife’s car at the complex, as well as Chavous’ unmarked patrol car there.

The husband “advised that he doesn’t feel comfortable with the fact that Sgt. Chavous is in a peer support role with the agency, and he sleeps around with other Deputies wives,” McNeil wrote.

When confronted by internal affairs, Chavous admitted he’d been sleeping with the other deputy’s wife for about a month and a half, according to the documents. Chavous said he was going through a divorce of his own, according to the documents.

“It is imperative for all employees of this agency to always demonstrate sound judgment, both on and off duty,” McNeil wrote in the report. “Additionally, staff members must conduct themselves in a manner that upholds the integrity and reputation of the Sheriff’s Office. The actions of Sgt. Chavous fell short of these established standards.”

The personnel documents state the final disposition for Chavous, who also runs the Support 1 charity: “Termination.”

In response to the action, Chavous told News 12:

“I will have to refer to this to my counsel. I am appealing the decision.”

He faces certain investigation by the state.

Anytime a law enforcement officer is fired in the state, it automatically triggers an investigation by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.

Here’s a look at his POST records so far:

News 12 learned that before he came to Richmond County, Chavous retired from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office in 2023 after a complaint of an inappropriate relationship with a confidential informant.

These sex scandals seem to be a recurring problem for law enforcement agencies across the CSRA:

In January, we reported that Aiken County Sheriff Marty Sawyer took action to demote two employees for allegedly engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship while on duty, according to officials.
In December, we reported that deputy Diana Santiago was arrested after admitting to an “intimate relationship” with a member of a gang and using Richmond County Sheriff’s Office databases to look up information for that member while on duty.
In 2023, we reported that an open microphone in a patrol car revealed that two supervisors had sex during working hours. They were demoted.
Two other Richmond County deputies were fired after their relationship was uncovered. They were fired not for the relationship but for lying about it.
In 2023, we reported that a deputy had sex with a woman who’d called 911. He was put on probation for one year.
In addition, Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams has been involved in a lawsuit by a former employee who alleges he was involved in sexual harassment.

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Augusta, GA

SAFETY ALERT: Recalled fried rice could have been sold in Augusta

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

SAFETY ALERT: Recalled fried rice could have been sold in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta-area residents could have purchased fried rice that was recently recalled because it may contain glass pieces.

The brand − Ajinomoto Yakitori Chicken with Japanese-Style Fried Rice − was sold at Costco, according to a recall letter received by a local customer.

Ajinomoto Foods North America in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a voluntary recall of some lots because it may contain glass. The affected products have “best by” codes ranging from 110825 through 011227.

It’s the same recall that was issued a few days ago for store-brand chicken fried rice that was sold at Trader Joe’s stores.

Althogh the name is different, it all comes from Ajinomoto.

Nearly 3.4 million pounds of frozen chicken fried rice products sold at Trader Joe's stores... — Nearly 3.4 million pounds of frozen chicken fried rice products sold at Trader Joe’s stores and in Canada because they may contain pieces of glass(US Department of Agriculture)

The Trader Joe’s version was sold in 20-ounce plastic bags. The affected packages have best-by dates of Sept. 8 through Nov. 17, 2026. The products are stamped with the establishment number P-18356 inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The problem was detected after four consumers complained of finding glass. No injuries have been reported. Consumers should avoid eating the product and throw it away or return it to the store where it was purchased.

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