17th South Magazine

Top Menu

  • Home
  • About US
    • Our Mission
    • Meet The Team
  • All Articles
  • Contact Us
  • Past Issues
  • Pick Up A Copy
  • Read The Current Issue Online

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Latest
  • Culture
  • Indulge
  • Happening
  • Living
  • Cover Story
Sign in / Join

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account
Lost your password?

Lost Password

Back to login
  • Home
  • About US
    • Our Mission
    • Meet The Team
  • All Articles
  • Contact Us
  • Past Issues
  • Pick Up A Copy
  • Read The Current Issue Online

logo

Header Banner

17th South Magazine

  • Home
  • Latest
    • Artistic Acquisition

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • WESTSIDE WARES

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • PCM Premieres

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Burning Up

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Edge of Tomorrow

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • The High Gets Higher

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • COMEBACK KID

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • DYNAMIC DESIGN

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • European Experience

      November 1, 2018
      0
  • Culture
    • The Voice of Atlanta Radio

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Put a Sock on It

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Happy to Be Here

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Coming Up Roses

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Going Green

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • Stompin’ on the Westside

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • PAINTING THE TOWN

      September 27, 2018
      0
    • EAT WITH YOUR EARS FIRST

      September 27, 2018
      0
    • Atlanta-based designer Megan Huntz

      Fashion, Forward

      August 23, 2018
      0
  • Indulge
    • A Modern Classic Menu

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Drinks on Demand

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Family Affairs

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Food News - March / April 2019

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • A SEASONAL BITE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Happening Hood Hangout

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • How Sweet It Is!

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Cozy Up, Drink Up

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Food News - JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • Happening
    • ATLANTA ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • THE GREAT RACE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • FASHION FORWARD

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • LE JARDIN FRANÇAIS WINTER FLORAL DESIGN CLASS

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • 2019 ATLANTA BIENNIAL

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • VIRGINIA-HIGHLAND TOUR OF HOMES

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • YOUR BEST LIFE

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • MOSCOW BALLET’S GREAT RUSSIAN NUTCRACKER - DOVE OF PEACE TOUR!

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • BOO AT THE ZOO

      September 27, 2018
      0
  • Living
    • Minnesota's Shopping Mecca

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Treasured Acquisition

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Preserving the Past

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Cajun Country Culinary

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Spring Forward

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • West Highlands Retreat

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Highly Addictive Beauty

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • A Dose of the Ocean

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • A Gangbuster Alabama Getaway

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • Cover Story
    • BOOZY BLASTOFFS

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • BRUNCH BUCKET LIST

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • CREAM OF THE CROP

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • GET CRACKING

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • GLOBAL BEGINNINGS

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • LAST THINGS FIRST

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • RISE & SHINE …

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Matt Gryder and Matthew Fishman

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Antonio Brown

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • BOOZY BLASTOFFS

  • BRUNCH BUCKET LIST

  • CREAM OF THE CROP

  • GET CRACKING

  • GLOBAL BEGINNINGS

  • LAST THINGS FIRST

  • RISE & SHINE …

LivingOCTOBER 2018People
Home›Living›URBAN BOUNTY

URBAN BOUNTY

By 17thSouth
September 27, 2018
2444
0
Share:

Concrete Jungle’s Katherine Kennedy harvests and distributes food from Atlanta’s omnipresent fruit trees

STORY: Gresham Cash
Photo: Maria Lioy

As Katherine Kennedy navigated the branches of a Chickasaw plum with a smile and delivered calm instruction to volunteers, she embodied several of Concrete Jungle’s core values: being respectful, nimble and fun. Like an effortless leader, she addressed the Reynoldstown homeowner nearest the tree by name and ensured him that the volunteers would leave ample fruit for his family to enjoy.

Concrete Jungle does much more than spend pleasant afternoons picking fruit. As Kennedy says, “We are doing the best that we can to try and protect the fruit trees in this city and make use of this amazing natural resource for people who rarely have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Kennedy and volunteers do this by annually harvesting more than 25,000 pounds, or 100,000 servings, of fruit from trees around Atlanta. Once the fruit is collected, they distribute it to shelters, soup kitchens and food pantries. Groups of pickers can be spotted from Grant Park to Piedmont Park.

Started in 2009, Concrete Jungle has grown from collecting apples and making cider to an organization that partnered with Georgia Tech to create electronic noses that “smell” when a tree is ripe and sensors that measure the bend of a branch loaded with fruit. Additionally, Concrete Jungle has a food map of Atlanta that visually promotes awareness of how much fruit is available on streetsides, in parks and in people’s yards.

Concrete Jungle slowly grew to a size that forced its founders to consider hiring an official employee. And from the rooftop farms of New York City, Kennedy fell into the Atlanta urban farming scene. She brought unique qualifications beyond her “official” college degree focused on music business and rhetoric. She was not simply a cyclist who identified food waste on the streets of Atlanta; she was experienced with farming. So she brought a knowledge to the organization that it needed to move forward.

Kennedy returned to the South to farm in a more rural setting but felt her time spent in the country was often “very sad and lonely.” So she started a small farm in Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood and began volunteering with Concrete Jungle. In 2017, she assumed the role of executive director.

Like any charity, the need for funding is constant. But even in this respect, Kennedy’s farm-grown values are at the root of her work. “Our corporate sponsors get involved; they get their hands dirty; they come pick; they can be a part of the soup kitchens and food pantries,” she says. “But there is meaning to the relationship more than just giving money.” Concrete Jungle and Kennedy hope to be good stewards of what the city offers. In addition to picking fruit and delivering it to partner agencies, they oversee an educational program with taste tests and recipe demos, and are working on a cookbook. “We are trying to improve produce literacy,” she says. “And we are gonna continuing growing on that.”

concrete-jungle.org

TagsAtlanta urban farming sceneAtlanta’s Vine City neighborhoodConcrete JungleConcrete Jungle’s Katherine Kennedyfood map of Atlantafood waste on the streets of AtlantaPhoto: Maria Lioyprotect the fruit trees in atlantasoup kitchens and food pantriesSTORY: Gresham Cash
Previous Article

SPOOK-TACULAR TREATS

Next Article

ATLANTA’S UNSUNG SPORTS

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • The author takes a book break along the Benton MacKaye Trail.
    In Town EscapesLivingSEPTEMBER 2018

    Camping and Hiking Georgia

    August 23, 2018
    By 17thSouth
  • LivingWellness

    East Meets West

    September 29, 2016
    By 17thSouth
  • LivingPeople

    Spring Of Life

    April 26, 2018
    By 17thSouth
  • LivingWellness

    Inside Out

    August 25, 2016
    By 17thSouth
  • Living

    Victorian Revival

    May 26, 2016
    By 17thSouth
  • JANUARY 2018LivingOut Of Town

    Playa del Pampering

    December 28, 2017
    By 17thSouth

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You may also be interested in...

  • CreatorsCultureIssueMARCH / APRIL 2019

    Put a Sock on It

  • July 2017LivingPeople

    Bike Break

  • EventsHappening

    Photo Finish

Visit Our Sister Publication

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates and to hear what's going on with our magazine!

Follow us

Instagram @17thSouth

Follow on Instagram

Find us on Facebook

logo

17th South:
In the heart of Atlanta,17th South magazine reaches active, exploration-minded residents ages 24-65 who want to experience the best the area has to offer, through stories and features on individuals and businesses they can relate to in their direct communities. We feature of-the-moment and hidden gem restaurants, beautiful private homes, philanthropy, arts and cultural offerings, and the trendsetters and tastemakers who are making it happen!
Valuestream Media Group
simply-buckhead-magazine
17th-south-magazine

Contact Us

  • P.O. Box 11633, Atlanta, GA 30355
  • 404.538.9895
  • advertising@17thsouth.com

Find us on Facebook

Follow us

17th South Instagram

Follow on Instagram
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Pick Up A Copy
© Copyright 17th South. All rights reserved.