Every month we celebrate one of our impact-driven, collaborative, and phenomenal partners.
This month’s spotlight is dedicated to Wellstar Health System, an organization that partners with us on Hunger Relief and Food Waste Solutions.
What is Wellstar Health System?
Wellstar Health System is one of the largest health systems in Georgia. As a not-for-profit organization, Wellstar prioritizes people over profit. Wellstar believes that every person deserves to live their healthiest life, regardless of their circumstances. They aim to make healthcare accessible and equitable by offering world-class care, respect, and dignity to everyone in the community, whether you are one of their patients or not. Through the Wellstar Center for Health Equity (WCHE), they strive to address, impact, and make lasting change for health inequities across Georgia. By putting systemwide initiatives and programs into action, the WCHE will help enhance the health and well-being of the people and communities they serve.
The Wellstar and Goodr Partnership
During the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, Wellstar sought to extend their community impact. In early 2021, Wellstar joined the Goodr partner network and launched the Wellstar Mobile Markets, a uniquely branded variation of our Pop-Up Grocery Markets. Over the course of six months, Mobile Markets were held once a month to reduce the food insecurity gap and support families during the ongoing pandemic. This year, the Wellstar Mobile Markets returned. The goal of the 2022 Mobile Markets was a true focus on community health and wellbeing by combining food access with important health information. The Mobile Markets reached Georgia communities in metro Atlanta and beyond, such as LaGrange, Griffin, and Hiram. The four-month series, which ran from March through June, served 800 families each month.
After making such a positive impact with the Mobile Markets, Wellstar expanded our partnership to include Surplus Food Recovery at the Wellstar Cobb Hospital. Wellstar donates meals directly from its hospitals to those in need with our Surplus Food Recovery service. This ensures the hospital’s high-quality and edible surplus food gets to non-profits serving the local community, not sent to municipal landfills. Since launching at Wellstar Cobb Hospital, Wellstar has expanded Surplus Food Recovery to two more metro Atlanta hospitals.
As a not-for-profit health system, Wellstar’s passion for people extends beyond our system and into the communities we serve. Each year Wellstar invests into our communities with the help of the Wellstar Foundation. Wellstar’s partnership with Goodr empowers Wellstar to run community focused programs including: Wellstar Mobile Market, Food Rescue, and Wellstar Resource Room.
– Jana Ford, Community Impact Specialist
Wellstar’s Impact
With shocking facts about the excess food that makes up 12% of waste sent to Georgia landfills and how 1 in 7 people in Georgia are food insecure, Wellstar’s commitment combats two challenges local communities face: food insecurity and food waste. By utilizing our Surplus Food Recovery and Pop-Up Market services, Wellstar has made a meaningful impact on the Atlanta community, in the form of:
- 234,165 meals provided, through Surplus Food Recovery and Pop-Up Markets
- 5,637 families served, through Pop-Up Markets
- 10,442 pounds diverted from landfill, through Surplus Food Recovery
Thanks to Wellstar so many families and individuals have received meals through our activations and partnership as well as top health care through their health systems. We look forward to providing more meals and diverting more food waste with Wellstar.
