Gwinnett County nonprofit Lettum Eat! opens farm to feed metro Atlanta's hungry

After years of working as a chef in the restaurant industry, Gwinnett County resident Hank Reid became determined to fight food waste and help those struggling to put food on the table.

In 2019, he launched a food truck to start food giveaways. As his nonprofit, Lettum Eat! Inc., grew, he thought opening a farm would be the perfect home for the operation.

"That gets emotional for people, you know, and they struggle to feed their family and feed their kids," Reid said. "So we can just, you know, go around in a food truck, which we do a lot, and just feed people and give them food. But the farm is here to do more than just give them food. We want to show people where their food comes from."  

Reid says the organization has given away more than 400,000 meals and frequently partners with Gwinnett County, co-ops, and other organizations to reach people in need. Now Lettum Eat! can supply meals using crops grown on its own farm.

The chef says he wants the farm to be a safe space for everyone, especially veterans, seniors, and children, to spend time in nature, learn about livestock and how to grow their own food.

"We need to be habitual and growing our own food. And it doesn't matter whether you have a farm or a raised garden bed on a patio in the suburbs, you know, we all have an opportunity to be able to do that. And I think it makes a difference," Reid said.

Lettum Eat! couldn't have expanded without its dedicated team of volunteers, like Lorenzo Hill.

"It's more of a purpose where I am helping my community because community has helped me," Hill said.

Lettum Eat! plans to launch culinary courses soon with partnering chefs at its farm, such as Chef Cordelia Whitaker.

"Farm fresh ingredients are so important just based on the fact that, you know, here in America, we're not always as healthy as we should be, first of all. So if we have access to ingredients that are farm fresh, it's a privilege," Whitaker said.

The farm currently sits on about seven acres, but Reid hopes to expand as Lettum Eat! keeps making an impact.

"One of the biggest challenges I've seen is people not thinking they can do enough so they don't do anything. And we want to change that stigma and get people focused on doing whatever they can," Reid said.

A whole family of people is working to feed the needy thanks to one chef who decided to dream big.