Y’all I have lived in a lot of different places – probably moved more than 15 times in my life. When I was in high school I moved to Phenix City because my family was stationed at Fort Benning. I immediately fell in love with the Columbus /Phenix City area. This is where I met the absolute love of my life. This is where I realized there was more to life than corn fields – I know corny joke but I grew up in Nebraska. I moved away for College and grad school – and for some reason I keep coming back here – maybe because Columbus has felt like home to me.
I think it’s human nature to find ourselves looking for the negative things about where we live because we are creatures looking out for our own safety at all times. And when we are constantly looking for those threats, we will find them. But I have decided this year to look for more good things and I have most certainly found them! Y’all there are so many people right here in Columbus Georgia that want to serve the community, want to bring knowledge and wellness to the people that live here, and want to make a difference.
Ben Redding is the first person that comes to my mind. He planned a super fun and inspiring event in May called the Planty Pantry where multiple vendors gathered and sold their amazing products. There were many local artists and merch vendors as well as tons of vegan food options. Best of all there were people educating the greater Columbus Georgia area on how to consume more plant based foods and how to grow their own.
A portion of the proceeds went to support The Food Mill, Mercy Med Farm, and UGROW INC -To assist the most food insecure areas of Columbus, Georgia. The aim is to help the folks in these communities learn how to eat in a way that fuels their bodies and show them how to grow or access nutritious food. Mercy Med and The Food Mill have a program designed to cook meals for people on a prescribed diet because food is medicine and what we put in our bodies counts. How cool is that!?!?
You can bet your buns when I was asked to photograph the event I said ABSOLUTELY!! Because out of all of the reasons to leave Columbus Georgia, this is the reason I stay. I love this community of people aiming to make our city a better place. I love the artists and small local businesses that want to earn a living by creating and inspiring others. I love the healers and the growers and all the people in between. This day absolutely opened my eyes to the goodness of what is right here in our city!
Below is a list of the vendors and a small album of photos I captured during the day.
Mercy Med Farms | Sims Grown | FlavoRite Vegan | The Bus Space | CeCe’s Jackfruit of All Trades | Verily Bakery | The Matcha Garden | BeeJou Kombucha | Plant Hustle Vegan Bakery | EMMetals | Isaac’s Kitchen | Glow + Behold Skin Care Studio | Earth Mama Medicine | The Bakeshop | River Flow Yoga | Big Oaks Pottery | Kari Goodwin Quilts | Ximena Rozo Design | Jordan’s Girls Vegan Dreams | Honey Hive Henna | Lucille’s Pantry | Bent By Courtney | Lavendar Tea and Picnics | Shade Tree Shroomery | The Golden Hour Co. | The Massage Whisperer | Full Circle Farm Sanctuary | Last Chance Endeavors | Conscious Culinary Coalition | Jay’s Cool Juices | BlueForest BlackMoon | Wholesale Wave of Georgia |LIVE MUSIC FROM THE ASTRO BAND + CARRIE WELLING
Cirrus Gold is a Wedding Photography business based in Columbus Georgia and Phenix City Alabama area. We also do couples, engagements, business branding, and some family portraits. We are about to launch an entire drone video service so stay tuned for more information!
