Heart, Home & Hunger: Senoia’s April Anderson
Written by MELISSA JACKSON
In downtown Senoia, April Anderson moves through Mess Hall on Main with practiced ease, greeting customers by name as she oversees her innovative food hall.
The petite blonde with bright eyes and a warm smile was recently named Coweta County's 2025 Citizen of the Year, largely in honor of founding Backpack Buddies of Georgia, a nonprofit addressing weekend hunger for students struggling with food insecurity, but also for ongoing service through her business and community leadership.
Anderson's Backpack Buddies journey began at a church conference where she first learned about the concept of providing weekend food for children who rely on school meals.
Upon returning home, she immediately met with Coweta Board of Education officials and discovered sobering statistics: Coweta has more than 200 homeless children, and nearly half of all students depend on free and reduced lunch programs.
Rather than becoming overwhelmed, Anderson mobilized. She shared the information with friends and family and began collecting food. By February 2011, Backpack Buddies of Georgia launched, initially serving 36 children at two schools.
Before its first anniversary, the organization had doubled its school reach and nearly tripled the number of children served. January 2018 marked a watershed moment when the program expanded to every school in Coweta County.
Anderson's commitment to the community extends beyond Backpack Buddies. She currently serves as chairperson of the Senoia Downtown Development Authority where she oversees signature events that define the town's charm – the annual Memorial Day celebration, PorchFest, and the popular Senoia Car Show. During the holiday season, the Development Authority helps coordinate the town's Christmas parade, a candlelight tour of homes, and the installation of seasonal lights and decorations.
Alongside her community service, Anderson has created Mess Hall on Main, a micro food hall that evolved from Senoia Coffee Company, which she and her husband Brent purchased 10 years ago and relocated during the pandemic.
"Things were so hard in 2021," she recalls. "We wanted to help businesses share the load."
The pandemic transformed the couple's business vision. April recognized that staff needed versatility in both food preparation and customer service, while entrepreneurs needed affordable, low-maintenance spaces to thrive. The food hall provides spaces for other food entrepreneurs while offering carefully sourced options. These include coffee the Andersons roast themselves at Senoia Coffee Company along with sourdough bread they get from an independent provider.
Above the bustling Mess Hall lies another testament to the Andersons' vision – their beautifully renovated loft apartment.
"I love living upstairs," says April from the living room of the four-bedroom home designed and renovated by Brent, a builder who has also served as a full-time pastor. "It's always been a dream of ours."
The loft showcases April's eye for style with historic family letters preserved under epoxy on a custom barn door. The home exudes more warmth with family photos, a mix of vintage and contemporary artwork, and handcrafted ancestral furniture that mingles with modern pieces to create a sophisticated but cozy atmosphere.
A short walk down exterior stairs connects April's personal and professional worlds. In both spheres, she demonstrates the same dedication to creating meaningful community connections. This balance of entrepreneurship and service reflects her priorities; while she and Brent both have served in ministerial leadership, their calling has always been toward different forms of community building, says April.
Through Mess Hall on Main, the Senoia Downtown Development Authority and Backpack Buddies, she continues to exercise leadership that transforms both individual lives and the broader community. NCM
