(l-r): Golden Harvest Food Bank’s Founder and first Executive Director Mike Firmin holds a photo of the Food Bank’s original Augusta Warehouse next to current President and CEO Amy Breitmann and renderings for the upcoming renovation of the Augusta facility.
Friday, February 25th, 2022 marks a historic moment for Golden Harvest Food Bank as we celebrate our 40th anniversary. Founder and first Executive Director Mike Firmin sat down with us to share his reflections on what this moment means to him and to our community.
Q: Can you share a bit about Golden Harvest’s founding?
A: There was a big recession in the early 1980s, with about 25% unemployment in our area. In response, the Citizens Committee was formed in Richmond County by local leaders, and they began to talk about founding a Food Bank because of the great need. They brought me on as the first Executive Director. We were originally called Greater Augusta Food Bank; but as we grew and became more known, the word spread that there was a new resource for food and we began to serve churches and agencies from other counties.
Q: What are some of the biggest milestones in the Food Bank’s 40 year history?
A: The big milestones, because of what the Food Bank is as a distribution center, are the warehouses. We first started in Commissioner Travis Barnes’ office at the corner of 4th and Green Streets, then were gifted the use of a disco joint on lower Broad Street. We rented warehouse space from the Senior Center on 15th Street for a few years, then we built our warehouse on Commerce Drive and later opened a warehouse in Aiken. Each one of those facilities represents a miracle, and that’s the story of Golden Harvest—it’s miracle after miracle from God.
Q: What does it mean to you to see the Food Bank celebrate 40 years?
A: Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you.” So there’s always a call on the hearts of people of goodwill in a community to share their resources with those in need. The fact that the Food Bank has grown to become what it is today is a testimony to the people of this community and their generous hearts. The Food Bank is really a cause of blessing not only to people in need, but to the people who have resources and share them.
