We’re proud to announce that Haven Community at South Atlanta is now home to FCS’ newest food co-op! Haven Community is a multi-family development featuring 84 garden apartments – 71 of which are offered at 60% of area median income (AMI) to ensure that all families have the opportunity to put down roots in Atlanta. But it’s much more than a set of homes. Haven Community is a place where neighbors can put down roots and thrive. Bringing a tried and true food co-op model, which we now own and operate thanks to a partnership with Urban Recipe, is one more strategic way to make sure neighbors thrive!

Over the years, we have seen that a food co-op can be about much more than distributing food when it has a committed neighborhood leader at the helm. Tameka Mckee, better known as “Juicey,” has been serving as that leader and role model for the food co-op in South Atlanta.

“I’m here, I’m there, and guess what – I’m everywhere,” Juicey says with a grin.

Get to know Juicey

Juicey had been part of the South Atlanta co-op for 8 years when Pamela Stringfield (Director of Neighborhood Engagement) approached her with an opportunity. FCS was getting ready to become the owner and operator of a new food co-op at Haven Community, in partnership with Urban Recipe.

“Pamela told me, ‘I see you’re a hard worker,’ ” Juicey recalls. “You just get up there and take charge. She asked me if I wanted to be part of this new co-op. I said yes — it’s time for a change.”

Mikayla Santos, (Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator) echoes those views. “Juicey is soft spoken, but she means business,” Mikayla says. “She’s a quiet leader who leads by example.”

Since August, the Haven Community food co-op members have been distributing food with Juicey as coordinator. “Everything is running smoothly,” she says. Juicey’s nature is to unite those around her in a common goal. “I love connecting with people,” she says. “It can be challenging to lead. People come in with problems they’re facing. I’ll ask them to step to the side and say ‘Let’s talk about this.’ ” Thanks to Juicey, co-op members have the items they need each time they step foot in the door, and they feel welcomed and heard.

Besides running the co-op, Juicey works at Club 291 — the oldest club in Atlanta — runs her own catering business and enjoys making people smile with her food. She was born in South Atlanta, has four children, and is married to Mario. She emphasizes just how important the food co-op is for neighbors. “This is supporting many families to make sure they have the nutrition they need to get through the month,” she says.

Neighbors like Juicey are what make Haven Community more than just a group of apartments, but a community where people can work together to flourish! In the same vein, the food co-op is more than just food distribution, largely thanks to the leadership of neighbors like her. Her warmth and skill make this community a neighborhood worth living in – providing people access, opportunity and belonging in a place they can thrive.

Many thanks to Juicey for all of the ways she is working to see her neighborhood thrive!