Wellstar Partners with Local Organizations to Address Food Insecurity in Metro Atlanta

Access to fresh, nutritious food is a fundamental component of healthy communities. To address food insecurity and its effects on Atlanta area residents, Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar Health System collaborated with Goodr, a sustainable waste management and hunger relief organization, to launch the Wellstar Mobile Markets. This initiative delivers fresh, healthy, free food directly to neighborhoods with limited access.

By employing a collaborative approach, Mobile Markets not only enhance access to nutritious food but also lay the groundwork for sustained health improvements within the community.

How Mobile Markets Operate

The Mobile Markets program employs a pop-up model, using refrigerated trucks that travel to designated community sites — such as churches, schools and clinics — on a regular schedule. Each pop-up event offers residents the opportunity to select from a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy products and more — all at no charge. These events also feature wellness education stations and provide recipe cards, empowering participants with the skills and knowledge to prepare healthy meals at home.

Benefits of Local Partnerships and Community Engagement

The collaboration between Wellstar and Goodr enables the partners to use real-time data and a mobile app platform to track food distribution and evaluate the impact. This strategic approach has allowed Wellstar to specifically target areas experiencing the highest levels of need.

This partnership also helps ensure that surplus food from some of Wellstar’s hospital cafeterias is diverted from landfills to families in need, aligning seamlessly with Wellstar’s commitment to community stewardship.

Community engagement is integral. Feedback from community members ensures that participants have food options that they recognize and enjoy. Additionally, community residents take pride in supporting the pop-up markets and connecting with their neighbors, which further enhances the initiative's success.

Impact of Mobile Markets

About 40% of participating households had previously indicated they had delayed or avoided medical visits so they could afford food. Since launching Mobile Markets five years ago, Wellstar has helped distribute nutritious food and health education content to more than 16,000 households comprising over 50,000 individuals. Participants have reported improved access to nutritious foods and a greater understanding of how to prepare healthy meals at home.