(Lawrenceville, Ga., Aug. 9, 2023) – Gwinnett County is once again being recognized as a national benchmark community – with more than 20 ways to prove it.

The County won a record-breaking 22 National Association of Counties Achievement Awards for various programs implemented in 2022 – beating its previous record of 11 awards last year, which at the time was the highest award count the county had received since the program began in 1970.

“Having our staff and programs recognized on a national level reflects our passion and commitment to providing comprehensive support to every corner of our county,” said Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson. “The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners values the role they play in creating a forward-thinking and agile local government.”

The winning programs include Gwinnett’s Mobile Food Distribution program, Black History Month exhibit, the County’s online donation app and its watershed cleanup – which helps combat water pollution. The County also received the Best in Category Achievement Award for the mobile food program that began as an answer to the food security challenges presented by the pandemic. In less than three years, the Volunteer Gwinnett initiative has helped nearly 50,000 households and distributed more than 1.5 million pounds of food. 

There are strict criteria a County government or state association has to follow to win a NACo Achievement Award. For example, a program has to offer new services to residents, fill in gaps or tap into new revenue sources; improve the administration of an existing county government program; and/or upgrade training levels for employees and enhance the level of citizen participation.

A full list of Gwinnett’s 2023 NACo Achievement Award-winning projects can be found on NACo’s website.