Atlanta Harvest owner says racial slur carved into watermelon won’t stop community mission

Atlanta Harvest provides locally grown, nutrient-dense produce at affordable prices.

(CNN)- The owner of Atlanta Harvest says he was shocked after discovering a racial slur carved into one of the business’s watermelons, but says the incident will not deter the organization’s work in the community.

EliYahu Ben Asa, who owns Atlanta Harvest with his family, said he found the N-word carved into a watermelon that had been intended as a gift.

“It was disheartening to see, but it’s not going to stop us,” Ben Asa said.

He said he was relieved he discovered the watermelon before anyone else did.

“It was a horrifying thing to pull out as a gift. My intention was to give it away, but I’m glad that I caught it and no one else had,” he said.

Ben Asa said Atlanta Harvest remains focused on serving families despite the incident. He credited his father’s guidance for helping him stay committed to the organization’s mission.

“My father has always taught me to never falter. Never change. The work that we do is too important for us to be bogged down by any kind of bad situation,” Ben Asa said.

Atlanta Harvest provides locally grown, nutrient-dense produce at affordable prices. The organization also offers a 50% discount to customers using EBT benefits to help make healthy food more accessible.

“We can see that families are really in need,” Ben Asa said. “The price of food and the price of everything nowadays has gone up, so if we can help them by not only providing them with the most nutrient dense foods, but also giving it to them at a discount, that’s the work that needs to be done.”

Atlanta Harvest is open Sunday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.