Dozens of people buzzed around the room, sheet of paper and pencil in hand, smiling and asking questions.
“You’re wearing glasses! Can you sign here?”
“Do you speak any other languages?”
“I just need to find somebody who lives in my zip code, 30312. Do you?”
That was the scene at the start of this year’s Tummy and Soul, Urban Recipe’s annual gathering for Food Co-op members, donors, volunteers, and partners. In past years, it’s been a fundraiser. This year, it was solely a celebration to recognize 35 years of feeding families across Atlanta.
The questions came from a Bingo card everyone received when they checked in. It was a fun way to get people talking and build community, which is at the heart of the nonprofit’s mission.
At Urban Recipe, food and community go hand in hand. Through their free Food Co-ops, families meet every two weeks to receive and pack bags of groceries, build meaningful relationships, and support each other.
Niyouha Ross, one of the co-op members in the room, described her Food Co-op community as “very warm and loving.”
“We even created a birthday club! I’m over the birthday club,” she said about her Food Co-op with a grin. “I make sure they get a cake and a card and we sing happy birthday. That’s real fun.”
Karen Golden-Biddle, a supporter who has been to Tummy and Soul before, put it this way:
“Urban Recipe organizes the whole idea of community and food, bringing food together and having choices,” she said. “It’s human…a distinctive way of organizing.”
Executive Director Jeremy Lewis took the mic to thank founder, Rev. Chad Hale, who was in attendance, along with supporters and co-op members for their part in Urban Recipe’s 35 years.
“Like any good recipe, all the ingredients have to come together in the right way. By themselves, each of the ingredients really don’t make a meal. But when you add flour and the sugar, the spices in…you get something really, really special. And our co-op members, our volunteers, our donor community, our partners who are in the room, we’re so, so grateful for all of you. None of this would be possible without you.”
Lewis presented the Growth and Gratitude Award to St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. After visiting a Food Co-op at Urban Recipe’s original location at Georgia Avenue Church and seeing the model in action, they were inspired to bring a co-op to their own community. They’ve now had their co-op for 5 years and are one of 11 Urban Recipe Food Co-ops across Atlanta.
The evening closed with Lewis teasing the possibility of karaoke at next year’s event, before riffing a bit of the intro to Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood to laughter and applause.
Karaoke is still a maybe, but what’s certain is how you can join in this year’s 35th anniversary celebration. See how you can get involved.
