Atlanta Gas Light Foundation and Goodr open grocery store at Jean Childs Young Middle School for students and families
Grocery store to provide more than 32,000 meals to students and families; will help combat food insecurity
ATLANTA – July 28, 2023 – The Atlanta Gas Light Foundation, in partnership with Goodr, is proud to announce the opening of the Atlanta Gas Light Foundation Goodr Grocery Store at Jean Childs Young Middle School in southwest Atlanta. The Atlanta Gas Light Foundation and Goodr celebrated the store’s grand opening today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that included remarks from City of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta Gas Light President and CEO Pedro Cherry, Goodr Founder and CEO Jasmine Crowe-Houston and Jean Child’s Young Middle School Principal Ron Garlington.
Goodr is an Atlanta-based leading food distribution and recovery organization using technology and logistics to fight hunger and food waste. The Atlanta Gas Light Foundation Goodr Grocery Store is aimed at providing a convenient solution for families facing food insecurity and promoting equity around the Metro-Atlanta area. This school year, the store is expected to provide more than 32,000 meals to students and their families with a sustainable, easily accessible solution for students and their families to shop for high quality, nutritious groceries at no cost.
“The health of our communities is only as strong as the well-being of its citizens and this partnership is not just about fighting hunger, but also ensuring our communities have the resources needed for all to live happier and healthier lives,” said Atlanta Gas Light President and CEO Pedro Cherry. “Today’s students are our future, and Atlanta Gas Light is committed to making a positive contribution to the lives of these students and their families.”
“Goodr is so proud to open this new Atlanta Gas Light Foundation Goodr Grocery Store within Jean Childs Young Middle School,” said CEO and founder, Jasmine Crowe-Houston, “and even more grateful to the Atlanta Gas Light Foundation for helping to make that a reality. Our children battle so many distractions in this world, but hunger should never be one of them. Our entire team is thrilled to be able to provide this type of ongoing solution to such a far-reaching issue as child hunger and committed to continuing this fight.”
Goodr first partnered with Atlanta Gas Light to host a free Pop-Up Grocery Market last year at Jean Childs Young Middle School. The event provided 200 families with free groceries, including meat, fresh produce, shelf-stable items, eggs, bread, and more in time for the holiday season.
Sources from Feeding American estimate that roughly 1.1 million Georgians currently struggle with hunger. Of those, 360,000 are children, 1 in 7 specifically in the City of Atlanta. Hunger is known to affect not only a child’s daily school performance, but also their health and psychosocial behavior. Bringing a grocery store directly to the middle school is just one step in the company’s effort to help remove barriers and ensure that every child has access to fresh produce, pantry staples and essential items.
Atlanta Gas Light is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Atlanta Gas Light provides natural gas delivery service approximately 1.7 million customers in Georgia. In operation since 1856, the company is one of the oldest corporations in the state. For more information, visit atlantagaslight.com.
Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America’s premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.4 million natural gas utility customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states with more than 600,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other nonutility businesses include investments in interstate pipelines and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.
Founded in 2017, Goodr is a sustainable waste management and hunger relief company that leverages technology and logistics to fight food waste and hunger. Goodr, a certified B-Corp, is built on the principle that food insecurity is not an issue of scarcity – it's a matter of logistics. Goodr offers a variety of Hunger Relief and Food Waste Solutions, which include Surplus Food Recovery, Pop-Up Grocery Markets, and Goodr Grocery Stores. Headquartered in Atlanta, Goodr operates nationwide with clients in industries ranging from food service and hospitality to sports teams, universities, celebrities, government, and more. As of 2023, Goodr has served nearly 30 million meals to those in need and redirected 12 million pounds of food and organic material away from landfills. For more information on Goodr, visit www.goodr.co or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, @goodrco.
Holly Lovett
Atlanta Gas Light
hcrawfor@southernco.com
Aliya Nealy
Goody
Aliya@goodr.co
