By: Emmie Reeves
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Flowers bloom behind the fence at The Master's Table Urban Farm in downtown Augusta, Georgia. The farm provides fresh produce and eggs for the meals served at The Master's Table sponsored by the Golden Harvest Food Bank.
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A volunteer at the Urban Farm collects berries from the bushes growing in the garden. A large portion of downtown Augusta lies in a food desert so this community garden helps provide an alternative to the prepackaged or frozen foods many people in the area eat regularly.
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An Augusta man waits for the train to pass so he can receive a meal from the The Master's Table. Hot meals are served 365 days a year from 11 a.m. to noon at the downtown kitchen.
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Two men make their way across Fenwick Street toward The Master's Table after the train passes. Guests of the kitchen include a number of veterans and disabled locals.
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A man, a young girl and a disabled woman pushing a grocery cart make their way down the sidewalk to The Master's Table. The kitchen serves hot meals to more than 200 guests each day including families with children.
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A man pushes his bike as another crosses the railroad track on foot heading to the kitchen for lunch. Many locals rely on The Master's Table for a good meal because the nearest grocery store is over two miles away and more than 30% of downtown Augustans do not own a car.
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A few minutes past noon, Manager Ladonna Coleman and Douglass "Chef Doug" Johnson, Executive Chef of The Master's Table, close the gates after a successful lunch shift. The kitchen relies heavily on volunteers including church groups, businesses, and individuals from the community who help prepare, serve and clean up after meals are served.
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A homeless man sleeps on a bench in the heat of the day. This park across from the Imperial Theatre is popular with the unhoused because it has an abundance of park benches as well as plenty of shade.
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A homeless woman sits on a bench in the middle of Broad St. as the temperature reaches 100 degrees. Originally a quaint park adjacent to a local monument, this area has been overtaken by the unhoused and is littered with trash.
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| A disabled homeless man seeks shelter from the midday heat in the shade of an abandoned building. There are limited options for the unhoused during the scorching summer heat. |
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| A homeless woman crosses the street after grabbing lunch at The Master's Table. The unhoused are forced to carry all of their belongings with them wherever they go. |
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A disabled homeless man uses crutches to propel himself along the sidewalk. He used this method of transportation for several city blocks after leaving The Master's Table.
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An elderly homeless man rests on a stone wall while a man takes a smoke break across from the James Brown Statue in the center of Broad St. The James Brown Family Foundation supports those in need with a turkey giveaway each November.
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A homeless man scrolls through his cell phone on a park bench in the Augusta Commons. Many unhoused people have access to cell phones through the government's Lifeline program.
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| A homeless man has a heated conversation with his hat. Many of the unhoused suffer from mental health conditions. |
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| A homeless woman walks along Washington Road carrying her belongings and a sign. Near Interstate 20, this area is popular among the unhoused. |
A lone homeless woman walks down the busiest street in Augusta. The intersection at I-20 and Washington Road is the most dangerous in the area.
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Alexis and Aaron Wolfe provide assistance to the unhoused out of the back of their car. The Wolfe family got permission to man a donation station in the parking lot of the RaceWay gas station at the corner of Washington and Stevens Creek Roads.
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Selection of clothes and shoes set out free for the taking for any of the unhoused in the area. The Wolfe family said they felt led by God to do something to give back to those in need.
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| Aaron Wolfe holds up a sign along Washington Road offering "Free Food, Clothes & Hugs." He said, "We just wanted to do something to help all the people struggling down here, and this was how we could help." |
