The Common Market in the News

Northside Hospital Cherokee, Morrison Regional Executive Chef George Sigeti and The Common Market Honored with 2026 CleanMed Sustainability Award

Morrison Healthcare

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.

How to Make Regenerative Food Procurement Work: Lessons from the U.S.

The Rockefeller Foundation

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.

Farm to classroom: Marietta students learn — and eat — local

Marietta Daily Journal

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.

Q&A with Bill Green, Executive Director of The Common Market Southeast

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)

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.

Agnes Scott College earns Farmer Champion Award for commitment to local food and farms

Decaturish

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.

The Common Market And Morrison Healthcare Partner to Support Producers of Color

Morrison Healthcare

"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."

Marietta City Schools elevating dining, cultural experience for students

Atlanta News First

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.

Georgia farm provides 2,000 pounds of sweet potatoes for holiday meals

Atlanta Journal Constitution

The initiative is made possible through support from the Georgia ACRE Collective’s Local Food Incentive Pilot, a program facilitated by The Common Market Southeast and other Georgia-based organizations that aim to support an equitable regional food system. The pilot program has been instrumental in helping RCPS integrate more locally sourced ingredients into its menus providing students with fresh, high-quality food.

Cherokee Schools Nutrition Program Earns State Award

Cherokee Tribune and Cherokee Ledger-News

The Cherokee County School District’s School Nutrition program has earned a statewide honor for serving locally grown food.

The Georgia Public School Local Food Procurement Champion Award, which was accepted by CCSD School Nutrition Executive Director Tina Farmer on behalf of the department, recognizes the Georgia school district with the most purchases from local farmers through The Common Market, a nonprofit regional food distributor.