She Started Nourish Initiatives at 16. Now Her Kits Are Reaching Cumming Families.

Alekhya Doddapaneni, founder of Nourish Initiatives, works with community organizations to bring infant nutrition kits to Georgia families, including in Cumming. I spoke with her by email about what brought her to this work and where she hopes to take it. Our interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What first prompted you to create Nourish Initiatives?

I was 16 when I first created Nourish Initiatives. Before starting it, I had spent about three years volunteering with organizations across Georgia that provided food and other essential items to lower-income families. Over time, I started noticing how difficult it was for some families to consistently meet even their children’s basic nutritional needs.

One experience in particular really stayed with me. I met a single mother caring for four children who showed us how carefully she had to stretch her groceries throughout the month. While she was feeding her youngest child, she told me that mothers often “don’t have the opportunity to be stressed when others depend on them.” I remember that because it made me think differently about the families I was serving. These mothers were already doing everything they could, but they were still having to make difficult choices about how to make what they had last.

I didn’t want to just see that and move on. I wanted to find a way to help, which ultimately led me to create Nourish Initiatives.

How do the kits reach families, and which organizations have helped distribute them?

The kits are distributed through partnerships with nonprofits and community organizations that already work directly with families. I usually reach out to organizations myself, although I’ve also had organizations contact me after hearing about Nourish Initiatives. Once we connect, I talk with their team about the families they serve and figure out what would be most helpful. From there, I coordinate a distribution with them.

So far, I’ve distributed kits through organizations including Suthers Center for Christian Outreach, Wellroot Family Services, Family Haven and Cumming Woman’s Center. I also have upcoming distributions with the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia and The Place, with the distribution with The Place on September 12.

Families have also found Nourish Initiatives through our Facebook page and flyers and have contacted me directly if they are interested in receiving an infant nutrition kit. The kits have reached families in Cumming, Tucker, Atlanta and other communities throughout Georgia.

How much of your work has been concentrated in Cumming and North Atlanta?

Approximately 80 kits have gone directly to families in Cumming. A large part of our work and kit distributions so far has been concentrated in North Atlanta, and I’d like to continue strengthening those local partnerships while also reaching more communities across Georgia.

What would a family find inside one of your kits?

Each infant nutrition kit includes three pouches of baby food puree, a silicone teether, a baby toy, baby chewies, spoons, bottles and an infant nutrition card with helpful information for families and a monthly feeding guide.

I wanted the kits to be more than just a bag of supplies. The idea is to give families practical feeding items while also providing information that can be useful as they navigate infant nutrition.

What role do local partnerships play as you expand?

I currently work with local nonprofits and community organizations to coordinate distributions and connect families with infant nutrition resources. I’m continuing to reach out to organizations throughout Georgia because there are so many different communities that could benefit from these resources. As Nourish Initiatives grows, I want to keep building partnerships that allow Nourish to reach families where they already receive support.

What do you hope the new fundraising campaign will allow you to do next?

The biggest goal of the new fundraising campaign is to give Nourish Initiatives the resources to keep distributing kits and reach more families. So far, Nourish Initiatives has received over $3,400 in grant funding, which has helped support the work we’ve already been able to accomplish. Donations will help build on that foundation by covering the cost of the supplies that go into each kit, allowing me to fund future distributions and increase the number of families we can serve.

I also hope to use the funds to organize a larger community distribution event of my own, where families can receive kits while also connecting with other local resources. As Nourish Initiatives grows, I’d like to bring together community organizations, families and local leaders to have more conversations around infant nutrition and maternal and child well-being.

Ultimately, I don’t want Nourish Initiatives to only be something that distributes kits when funding is available. I want it to become a sustainable community resource that families across Georgia can actually rely on.

Readers can learn more about Nourish Initiatives or visit its fundraising campaign.

About the Author

Tsvi Jolles

Author, Editor & Publisher

Tsvi Jolles is the author of seven books and the founder and publisher of North Atlanta Star. He has lived in Cumming for almost a decade.

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