Augusta, GA

Nonprofits see rise in food insecurity in Augusta area

Published

2 years ago

February 28, 2024

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.

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Augusta, GA

Historic Masters landmark purchased and renovated by local resident

Published

8 hours ago

May 9, 2026

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Historic Masters landmark purchased and renovated by local resident | News | wfxg.com

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Augusta, GA

Georgia governor candidate Olu Brown campaigns in Augusta

Published

20 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Georgia governor candidate Olu Brown campaigns in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Olu Brown visited Augusta on Friday evening, stopping near the Sand Hills Community Center as early voting continues.

Brown is one of six candidates in the Democratic primary.

Campaign priorities

Brown said his vision as governor would focus on three main areas.

“One, it’s affordability around health care and making sure we expand Medicaid and expand Peach Care and make sure we continue to make our rural health care systems healthy and vital,” Brown said. “Number two, we’ve got to address education in all of Georgia, making sure every kid in Georgia gets an excellent education, and we’re paying our teachers more. And number 3, we’re protecting the rights of all women. Folks in the Gold Dome shouldn’t be making decisions about their bodies or the choices that they make.”

Brown is running against Amanda Duffy, Derrick Jackson, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mike Thurmond.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta Prep student arrested over picture of LEGO gun, threat he called a joke

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

Augusta Prep student arrested over picture of LEGO gun, threat he called a joke

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augusta Prep student was arrested on a charge of terroristic threats over a picture of a LEGO gun he posted on social media.

It happened Wednesday, according to an incident report from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

Eric Hedinger, the principal of Augusta Preparatory Day School, told deputies a student had uploaded a picture to Snapchat of a “pistol” with the caption “shooting up the school so I don`t have to take the stats exam tomorrow. Don`t come yall!”

The principal said he spoke to the student and his father about the photo.

The principal also provided deputies with the student’s address in Grovetown.

A deputy went there and was told by the student that the “pistol” was a LEGO set that he had built.

He also said the comment he made was supposed to be a joke because he was not looking forward to taking his Advanced Placement statistics test this week.

The student showed the deputy the box that the LEGO set came in, and how the set was already disassembled.

The deputy also looked in the boy’s room to make sure he was not in possession of any weapons.

The mother advised that there was one firearm in the residence but it was locked up.