Hello 2025!! [End of Year Report/Recap 2024]

Date: January 31, 2025

Director’s Report: Growing Augusta Celebrates a Resilient and Transformational 2024

AUGUSTA, GA — After two years of unprecedented challenges, including personal health battles and natural disasters that disrupted daily operations and deeply impacted the communities we serve, Growing Augusta: Arts, Agriculture, & Agency is proud to share its 2024 Director’s Report and celebrate a season of resilience, innovation, and deeper community impact.

Founded to weave together arts, agriculture, and advocacy, Growing Augusta has emerged stronger than ever in 2024, pivoting strategically and expanding its reach despite ongoing obstacles.

“We’ve walked through fire—figuratively and literally. From health scares to hurricanes, this team and our partners showed up for Augusta every single time,” said Karen Gordon, Director of Growing Augusta. “To everyone working tirelessly in the food access and farmer support spaces, I see you, I thank you, and I celebrate you.”

2024 Highlights at a Glance

AGRICULTURE – GROWING WITH GRIT

  • Transitioned from a pop-up market model to a brick-and-mortar farm store.

  • Launched the STOP Mobile Farmers Market mid-season to increase flexibility and reach.

  • Pivoted the STOP Mobile Market into a food relief delivery hub for rural and underserved areas immediately after Hurricane Helene (Sept. 2024).

  • Operated a FRESH BOX CSA with 10 active members and 2 wholesale buyers.

ARTS – CULTIVATING CULTURE

  • Celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Jazz/Blues Stage at the Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival.

  • Rejoined the Greater Augusta Arts Council Board following a year-long health-related absence due to a breast cancer diagnosis.

  • Gordon also published a devotional journal tailored for creatives navigating serious health journeys, adding a deeply personal and healing touch to our body of work.

AGENCY – ADVOCATING FOR EQUITY

  • Collaborated with the Neighborhood Association Alliance and Augusta Land Bank to advocate for edible landscaping and the reuse of vacant lots.

  • Laid foundation for relaunch of Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business Committee, creating pathways for BIPOC growers and aspiring youth in agriculture.

  • Strengthened relationships with key allies including Mayor Garnett Johnson, Senator Harold Jones, Savannah Riverkeeper, & Augusta Housing & Community Development to advance food policy and land access.

STORYTELLING & REACH

  • Relaunched Urban Pro Weekly as a digital-first platform amplifying Black culture, business, agriculture, and civic engagement.

  • Garnered media attention across radio, print, and billboards, reinforcing the region’s hunger for sustainable and community-driven solutions.

Looking Ahead to 2025

In the coming year, Growing Augusta will scale up its CSA and mobile markets, publish more ebooks and guides, and expand Urban Pro Weekly’s audience and contributor base. Most importantly, it will remain a steadfast voice for equity, creativity, and community-led development in Augusta and beyond.

For interviews, media inquiries, or collaboration requests, please contact Karen Gordon at kgordon [at] growingaugusta.org.

About Growing Augusta
Growing Augusta: Arts, Agriculture, & Agency is a community-rooted initiative focused on merging creativity, land stewardship, and policy action to transform Augusta into a more vibrant, equitable, and sustainable city. Through markets, festivals, storytelling, and systems change, we elevate the voices of growers, artists, and everyday changemakers.

advocacy, agency, arts, food access, wellness, agricultureK Gordon