Inside The Grocery Spot: Care Meets Collective Action

This month, Brownieland volunteered from 10 AM to 2 PM on April 21st, and the time really flew by. We spoke directly with people at The Grocery Spot, and the reviews were all glowing. Despite unloading 30,000+ lbs. of food and stocking shelves for over four hours, everyone was still delighted to speak with us about their experiences in this impactful organization.

First, we spoke with Slugger, a community member who has been working at The Grocery Spot for over a year now. He spoke about the ebb and flow of food donations at the Spot, as well as the impact it has on customers. “At certain times, when there’s a lot, people take a lot. But we reduce the amount if there’s a limited supply of food.” The goal, however, remains the same.

“We want to feed as many people as possible.”

Next, we spoke with Jeff, a food service veteran with over 14 years of industry experience who started working at The Grocery Spot in September 2022. He described the organization and its members as a family, and there was certainly no doubt about it. Having grown up in the local area, Jeff had first-hand experience with the community’s efforts to fight hunger. Our conversation ended on a positive note, as he mentioned the success of their first location which could result in future expansion opportunities across the entire state of Georgia.

Drew, another employee at The Grocery Spot shared his experience starting in July of last year. He mentioned being taken in by the organizers during his own vulnerable moments. Similar to Jeff, Drew proudly echoed the sentiments of family and feelings of camaraderie at The Grocery Spot. 

We finally spoke with Ms. Linda, who started volunteering in January.

“I like to see people when they come in. They’re grateful there’s food.”

This simple expression was so profound, and now, Ms. Linda volunteers every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during The Grocery Spot’s regular volunteer shifts. We also discussed the volunteers who are often eager to help. Without them, the work is hard, but it still gets done. However, the more, the merrier!

For us new volunteers, it was truly heartwarming to be welcomed by The Grocery Spot staff and fellow members. We hope that our partners will commemorate National Volunteer Week by sponsoring a shopper today, HERE. We also encourage you to follow @thegroceryspot on Instagram and Tiktok to receive regular updates about their ongoing events or other organizational needs. Food justice is social justice, and The Grocery Spot embodies this value which means you should, too!