Meet Adrianna, our Branch Manager. They first learned about Concrete Jungle through their own food justice activities. Though they never had the opportunity to volunteer with CJ before joining staff, they were impressed by our reputation in the food justice community. Adriana is passionate about the CJ mission as it overlaps with several facets of their own personal passion for food access. “The amount of produce we move and communities we serve is inspirational”, they say.
Before managing programs for CJ, Adrianna already held a long history with produce. They previously owned a vegan meal prep company, which like Concrete Jungle, shared the goal of making healthy food accessible. They also worked for Community Foodscape, a landscaping company specializing in the principle of permaculture. Here is where Adrianna learned the importance of gleaning but also became more interested in growing their own food.
Adrianna struggles picking their favorite produce but can’t deny their current obsession with tomatoes- citing the large volume of mayo tomato sandwiches they’ve consumed as evidence. Adrianna’s work at Concrete Jungle has highlighted the vast number of fruit trees in Atlanta while the PEEL program especially has shown them the value of education when exposing people to new or unusual produce. They’re background in cooking, food education, and distribution provides a tremendous value to Concrete Jungle. For Adrianna, the reciprocal exchange in their work “inspires culinary creativity”.
CJ’s PEEL program is Adrianna’s favorite to manage as it serves as a huge source of inspiration. PEEL “allows us to go above and beyond the horizon of what we know”, they say. Adrianna believes PEEL allows Concrete Jungle to create a more reciprocal and inspirational relationship with our clients and community partners.