Morrison Healthcare, The Common Market, and Atrium Health are showing how local food purchasing can support family farms, strengthen regional food systems, and bring fresh, nutritious ingredients to the communities they serve.
Traditionally offered during the school year, Fulfill's BackPack Program provides children with shelf-stable breakfast and lunch items to supplement the meals they receive during the week.With HMH’s support, the program was extended into the summer at participating Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sites, where children will also receive weekend backpacks alongside fresh produce, bread, eggs and yogurt from The Common Market.
Morrison Healthcare is proud to announce that Northside Hospital Cherokee, Regional Executive Chef George Sigeti and sustainability partner The Common Market have received the 2026 CleanMed Sustainability in Action Video Award.
Chef George accepted the award at CleanMed’s annual Conference for Sustainability in Healthcare, held in St. Louis in May. Heather Farkas, Director of Sustainability at Morrison Healthcare, said partnerships like this demonstrate how healthcare organizations can support both patient well-being and environmental stewardship.
For example, in Georgia, we supported and The Common Market Georgia and the ACRE Collective (ACRE), through a grant to The Common Market Philadelphia Inc., to pilot a groundbreaking approach: Partnering forward commitments ― where institutions like schools and hospitals committed to purchasing certain volumes of food in advance ― with financial and technical assistance so farmers received pre-season payments, grants for equipment or infrastructure, and tailored technical assistance to help them meet volume, food safety, and specification requirements.
Not only does the pilot program provide new lunches for students, but also a big economic upturn for the community.
“Across all three pilot districts, about $150,000 worth of local food has been purchased from local farmers,” Hennessee said. “That equates to a quarter million dollars of economic impact for the surrounding communities.”
The program delivered 67,000 pounds of locally sourced foods across the Marietta, Rockdale and Atlanta areas.
Bill explains how the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools (LFS) positively impacted The Common Market Southeast and its ecosystem of family farmers and community partners. While the programs are ending, they helped catalyze the local food distributor’s mission of building small farmer capacity.
At the annual SOWTH conference, Agnes Scott College earned the 2024 Farmer Champion Award from Georgia Organics for its commitment to strengthening local food systems and supporting sustainable agriculture.
The college was honored with the award after serving students local food and consistently purchasing locally sourced foods in 2024. Agnes Scott committed to purchasing food from local farmers through its local food distributor, The Common Market, and supported 19 regional farmers and producers through their purchases.
Mercer University was recognized with the Farmer Champion Award by Georgia Organics, celebrating its unwavering commitment to strengthening local food systems and supporting sustainable agriculture.
"Morrison chefs communicate their purchasing commitments in advance, allowing these producers to make appropriate investments into their operations and grow with minimized risk, supporting The Common Market to onboard even more producers of color and to be involved in a forward commitment schedule. This has created a positive impact for our farmers in the southeast, with Morrison being at the forefront of the journey."
For seemingly forever, cafeteria food has gotten a bad “wrap.” But school districts are trying to change with the times, promoting healthier and more varied options for students. The school district's pilot program recently received $40,000, through the Georgia ACRE Collective, allowing it to further its locally sourced food options for students. Chef David Garcia with Marietta City Schools (MCS) knows all about the change.“If I’m going to make any change to the school system, this is the way to do it,” Garcia said.
Our friendly and educated team is here to partner with you every step of the way. Connect today to learn of all the ways to partner with The Common Market.
"The Common Market has been wonderful to work with. Not only is the customer service great but the products are also."
— Derick Smith, Culinary / Culinary Purchaser, Cancer Treatment Centers of America