Gwinnett County mobile food program earns award, served more than 1 million pounds of food

LAWRENCEVILLE—Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gwinnett County has served more than 1 million pounds of food through its mobile food distribution program, reaching 33,575 homes and 136,922 residents across the county.

Now, Gwinnett County’s mobile food distributions have earned the National Association of Volunteer Programs in Local Government’s 2022 Innovative Program Award, which recognizes excellence in volunteer management in city and county governments.

Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic and worsening food insecurity, the County partnered with the Atlanta Community Food Bank to deploy a weekly mobile food strategy in April 2020. Each week, families in need can pick up a box with 40 to 50 pounds of food per household.

“It’s rewarding to play a key role in enhancing food security for Gwinnett residents, and we’re honored to receive this prestigious award,” said Volunteer Gwinnett Manager Muriam Nafees. “I also want to thank the dedicated community volunteers who helped make these critical food distribution efforts possible.”

Volunteer Gwinnett has an ongoing need for food security volunteers to assist in mobile food distributions, quarterly mixed produce box distributions, WIC farmers markets, summer meals, senior meals and other initiatives.

For more details, visit VolunteerGwinnett.net or email VolunteerGwinnett@GwinnettCounty.com.