Please Meet Kate Conner of Food Well Alliance
Giving Grove’s Newest Board Member
The Giving Grove is pleased to announce that Kate Conner, Executive Director of Food Well Alliance, has accepted a position on its Board of Directors. Kate will serve as the Affiliate Representative and brings with her a wealth of agricultural nonprofit experience and expertise.
Kate, tell us about your role at Food Well Alliance.
Food Well Alliance is a nonprofit working to build a thriving local food system in metro Atlanta. As executive director, I work with a team of 14 people to support farmers and gardeners across metro Atlanta and connect people to where their food is grown. With demand for locally grown food on the rise, it's more important than ever to equip growers with the resources they need to provide healthy, fresh food for their communities. Specifically, we provide resources and support that local growers most need- things like volunteers, labor assistance, plant material, tools, tractor lending, training, grants and bulk quantities of compost. Today, we support nearly 200 community gardens, orchards and urban farms in our service area.
Why does the Giving Grove program appeal to you?
I am a big believer in the power of growing food as a community-building tool. What specifically appeals to me about The Giving Grove’s programming is harnessing the power of residents, and specifically leaders in the local food movement, to improve access to food, increase green space, improve soil health and forge community connections. All of this happens through the profound act of planting fruit-producing trees that will serve generations of neighbors.
Why are you excited to join Giving Grove’s board?
It has been a joy working with The Giving Grove team to increase the impact of our Orchard Project in Atlanta. We have learned a tremendous amount from the staff over the last year. The support you provide- from training and leadership development to funding and administrative support- has been the key to nearly tripling the size of our program in just one year. I hope I can bring some insight from our on-the-ground experiences and learnings to guide the strategic work of the board.
What do you do when you aren’t actively combating hunger in your community?
I take some parts of my work home with me in that I keep a pretty good vegetable garden (including some great fruit trees and shrubs!), tend to a small flock of backyard chickens and do lots of veggie-focused cooking. Aside from that, I love to go hiking with friends and family, travel both locally and around the world, and read lots of different books.
To learn more about Food Well Alliance and other Giving Grove affiliate partners, please visit here!