The 970 Jefferson St. Legacy
Since 2020, Urban Recipe has resided at 970 Jefferson St. NW, the former home of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. When the food bank moved from the building to a larger facility, Bill Bolling, the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s founder, advocated that this building continue to serve the needs of the city. Now, four years later, it is still doing just that.
The community’s website states, “from the outset, we envisioned making 970 Jefferson a collaborative hub for local organizations in Atlanta, providing long-term affordable office and storage space to several mission-aligned nonprofits and small businesses.” Home to 19 organizations that serve Atlanta in some capacity, providing resources, jobs and support for this city, 970 Jefferson is a buzzing hub for food and collaboration.
Urban Recipe is proud to be part of the community and we are energized by the connections formed here. Jeremy Lewis, Executive Director, shared that these connections “allow us to dream about ways we can keep growing as an organization as we meet the needs in the Atlanta community.”
Urban Recipe’s Partnership
Working alongside other food partners in the building, Urban Recipe is easily able to tie in beautifully to the building’s mission to serve our city together. A few of the ways that happens:
- We receive food regularly from Second Helpings Atlanta and Food Well Alliance to help feed our co-ops.
- We collaborate with Retazza for supplemental produce for our members.
- We gather volunteers to support our operations through our partnership with Hands on Atlanta.
- We direct our members to Marta Market and Westside Future Fund for additional support that food co-ops cannot provide.
- We share our space with Hands on Atlanta when they need it for volunteer sessions.
- We loan our truck out occasionally to Second Helpings Atlanta to assist in food rescue, and use their forklift to run our operations, as well as receive support from their staff.
Due to its historic location as home of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, we see regular foot traffic of people looking for food. Though a collaborative hub of support, Urban Recipe is the one of the only organizations in the building that can support families directly with regular food access through our food co-ops. While some organizations in the building may be able to provide a small bit of daily support, we are grateful to be able to continue to serve these families by directing them to our food co-ops.
The Food Co-op Model
Urban Recipe Food Co-ops fit into the community of 970 Jefferson well. They, by definition as a cooperative, are communal and ordered to a shared goal. Just like in the 970 Jefferson building, each co-op member brings something unique and fundamental to the success of the mission. While 970 Jefferson serves the city, our co-ops serve each other and their families.
970 Jefferson St. recently launched a new website designed to connect all of the tenants of the building. A mixture of connectivity, support and resources, it provides a billboard of sorts for the community. Now, when visitors find themselves intrigued by happenings in the building, there is a singular hub that answers their questions. Furthermore, the resources page on the site provides valuable access to the community in need of support.
Urban Recipe currently host co-ops, volunteer sessions and run operations out of the space. Visitors are always welcome to volunteer, either as individuals or as groups. Contact Manda Shankel if you are interested in taking a tour of the space and understanding co-op operations better.
As a tenant of 970 Jefferson, Urban Recipe is proud to share in the mission to serve our city. Learn more about the other organizations in the building committed to that mission by visiting 970jefferson.org.
