Phoenix (STN) – In the midst of the back-and-forth—both in Arizona and nationwide—over SNAP benefits, food insecurity is hitting families harder than ever.
As part of STN’s Season of Strength, the STN team visited Best Farmers Market in Phoenix. A place where community, culture, and compassion come together.
Eric and May Abraham opened the market in 1999. Over time, it became more than a place to buy produce. Refugee families began asking for ingredients from their home countries. Instead of turning them away, Eric started asking questions. “They give us the information, and we started doing research where we can find it to bring it for them,” he said.
Today, the market is also a key partner in Double Up Food Bucks AZ, a program funded in part by Mercy Care and operated by Pinnacle Prevention. The program allows families using SNAP to double their purchasing power on fresh, Arizona-grown produce.
WATCH: Program stretches SNAP benefits at critical time
“Double Up Food Bucks is a healthy SNAP incentive,” said Kelley Villa, farm-to-fork director at Pinnacle Prevention. “When customers use SNAP benefits, they unlock a buy-one-get-one-free discount for fresh fruits and vegetables. It supports families and local farmers at the same time.”
For May Abraham, it’s simple. “Our customers are not numbers. They are human beings,” she said. “It’s a win-win-win for the community, for small businesses like ours, and for the local farmers.”
Mercy Care’s support helped establish the program at Best Farmers Market back in 2018. “They invest in whole health,” Villa said. “This is what it looks like: food, dignity, and access.”
At a time when headlines focus on shortages, Best Farmers Market focuses on people, making sure families can feed themselves with dignity and local growers can keep doing what they love.
