From left are Neil Duggan, volunteer coordinator; David Fisher, NETWorks director; and volunteers Robert Fairey, Dell Lecoe, Jeanne Marie Marcil and Charlotte Huhtanen. Duggan is from Lilburn; the others live in Tucker.
By Neil Duggan
TUCKER, Ga. | Imagine walking into a grocery store where instead of price tags, the aisles are lined with dignity and hope. That’s the everyday reality at the NETWorks Cooperative Ministry in Tucker, Georgia — a Christian-based organization that provides food and financial resources to help neighbors find long-term solutions to poverty.
Duggan
Their grocery store style food pantry empowers neighbors in need by letting them choose the groceries their families want, not just what’s available. But even the best intentions can face real-world challenges. One recurring issue? Vegetables often arrive over-ripe and past their prime.
Now picture this: within the very same walls of this unique pantry, something extraordinary and unique has taken root. Meet Growings!—a cutting-edge, indoor hydroponic farm that’s redefining what it means to provide fresh food to our neighbors in and around Tucker.
This isn’t your typical garden. Growings! is a high-tech, fully contained ecosystem where vegetables and herbs thrive in nutrient-rich water, under full-spectrum LED lights that mimic the sun. No dirt. No pesticides. No weather worries. Just fresh, nutritious food growing efficiently indoors — 365 days a year.
And the impact? It’s huge! This hydroponic system produces hundreds of pounds of fresh produce monthly, ensuring families served by the pantry receive consistently high-quality fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables in their prime. Plus, hydroponics is a sustainable solution—it uses up to 90 percent less water, accelerates plant growth by about 30 percent, and significantly reduces waste.
But what makes Growings! even more special is the community behind it. Every Tuesday and Thursday, local volunteers gather for “work days,” tending to seedlings, harvesting and doing hands-on work to make sure the bounty of fresh vegetables and herbs keeps flowing. It’s more than volunteering—it’s neighbors helping neighbors, planting seeds of care and making a connection.
And soon, classes will be available to teach neighbors how to grow hydroponic fresh vegetables and herbs at their home or apartment using reclaimed materials at almost no cost.
Thanks to local benefactors and vital grant support from organizations across Georgia, Growings! is flourishing. But the vision doesn’t stop there. Looking ahead, there are plans to share surplus produce with local restaurants, creating a revenue stream to help sustain the project—and, in turn, the food pantry itself. What started as a solution to a common challenge is becoming a full-circle model of food generosity, justice and sustainability.
Growings! isn’t just a farm—it’s a movement. It’s what happens when innovation meets compassion, when a community comes together not just to meet needs, but to exceed them with compassion, grace and ingenuity. In Tucker, amidst shelves filled with canned goods, something far fresher is taking root.
Want to get your hands dirty, roll up your sleeves and be part of the change? Volunteers are always needed and welcome. Come visit this unique farm, join the movement, lend a hand, and help cultivate a healthier, more hopeful community—one head of lettuce at a time.
- For tours and information, contact me at neil@networkscoop.org.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
Follow Us