The Atlanta Community Food Bank introduced the Food Security Group model to Rev. Chad Hale, the founder of Urban Recipe (formerly Georgia Avenue Community Ministries). This new model built upon the emergency food pantry concept by bringing food into a community where transformative relationships are built through regularly meeting and sharing the ups and downs of life together. By 2008, GACM had five groups called food co-ops. In 2011, Dr. Bob Lupton wrote Toxic Charity, which praised the model as fostering community, accountability and self-sufficiency. The book greatly increased interest on the national level.

Rev. Nancy Yarnell and Michelle P. Neville learned about the innovative model of providing food in a dignified manner to people in need. They founded Food Security for America in 2010 as a program of Urban Recipe to expand the model throughout Georgia and nationally. In 2012 FSA became a separate 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.

Today, we operate Food Security Groups in Georgia and continue to grow across the U.S. by training non-profit and faith-based organizations to operate their own Food Security Groups.