March 2025: Member Spotlight - Wande Okunoren-Meadows
- Raina Turner-Greenlea
- Mar 5
- 2 min read
Wande Okunoren-Meadows is the Executive Director of Hand, Heart and Soul Project.
It was birthed from organic, genuine adoration for the Clayton Community, with Little Ones Learning Center as the incubator. The center was a model site providing high quality care for young learners while providing them access to a nutritious, farm-to-table diet. Founded as a 501 c3 in 2018, the Hand, Heart, and Soul Project does three things:
Provide children and families access to nutrient-dense foods,
Work with early childcare providers and schools to develop holistic programs focused on health, wealth, education, and nutrition and,
Advocate on the local, state, and national platforms to amplify minoritized and marginalized voices in places of decision-making.
Because of her lived experiences, Wande is frequently invited to inform early care and equity-focused initiatives. She advised the Democratic National Committee’s Planning COVID-19 health crisis platform in a conversation moderated by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Okunoren-Meadows was also appointed to Georgia Governor Nathan Deal’s first Early Education Subcommittee, and testified before a Georgia House Study Committee on Children’s Mental Health. Wande was also was selected as a 2021 Center for Civic Innovation Alumni Fellow, where “good troublemakers” are celebrated.
Aside from working in the garden, she also enjoys amplifying the Hand, Heart, and Soul Project’s mission through service on the Atlanta Alliance Equity Fund and as an inaugural governance committee member of the Big Green DAO, which seeks to decentralize and shift power.
BACKGROUND: Mother-Daughter Alignment
The Hand, Heart, and Soul Project (HHSP) was co-founded in 2018 by Toyin Okunoren, MS, RD, MHA, a highly respected registered dietitian, and public health leader, alongside her daughter, Wande Okunoren-Meadows, a dedicated advocate for early childhood education, food justice, and community development.
Toyin Okunoren brought decades of expertise in nutrition, public health, and healthcare administration to HSSP. Throughout their career, Wande and Toyin have worked at the intersection of food and wellness ensuring that individuals have access to the resources they need to lead healthy lives. While Toyin leads with experience in clinical nutrition and program development, Wande leads with experience in policy aimed at addressing systems change in food access and early education.
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