Shoppers hold their heads high
There’s something really moving about seeing a space built not just to give food—but to give dignity, too. At the Pratt Free Market in Baltimore, and at other free grocery stores popping up around the country, the message is clear: you matter, and you don’t have to prove you're struggling to get help. No one’s pointing fingers or asking for proof. People come in, pick what they need, and leave with full bags and their heads held high.
It’s easy to forget how many people are food insecure—especially now, with funding cuts and rising prices—but places like this remind us that community care is still alive. The folks behind these markets clearly thought about more than just handing out free food; they thought about how it feels to need help and how much that feeling can weigh on a person. These spaces lift some of that weight. They’re bright, welcoming, and run with compassion at the center.
Reading this piece uplifted me, and I hope it does the same for you. If you’ve ever worried about putting food on the table—or know someone who has—you’ll understand why places like these matter so much. Read more about The Pratt Market and other stores like it here:
https://civileats.com/2025/04/14/at-these-grocery-stores-no-one-pays/?ut...
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Well Street
What a great way to get food on the tables of the underserved. Fashioning these establishments to look as warm and inviting as typical grocery stores is brilliant.
Because empathy and understanding elude them, the White House and some members of Congress continue to portray beneficiaries of programs like Welfare and SNAP as lazy, good-for-nothing grifters living high on the hog, all on the government's dime.
Evangel
There are people in this country who are hungry every day. They are forced to choose between buying the meds they need or food.
Snap recipients receive only $6 per day. What does that buy, a carton of milk and bag of chips? And now, this "Make America Great Again" president has gotten rid of Meals on Wheels for seniors. Anyone want to give him a round of applause or nominate him for the Nobel Peace prize? I hope he reverses both these decisions--I think he will have to— like so many other bad decisions he's had to reverse during these first 100 days.
Slipstream
Thanks to both of you for your comments. We should continue speaking out and supporting the projects and organizations that are doing good work.
youtropolis
We could do that by encouraging our local city council to give tax breaks to corporations who sponsor such food stores, along with awarding city business contracts to them.
Slipstream
Good idea!
Wilsons Grave
Some people frown on these sorts of handouts. It's socialism, they say. I tell them it's not since government isn't paying for it. But they don't like the idea... such as it doesn't reflect well on the community. And then they say, how do you know they're not just a bunch of freeloaders? Funny though, they don't mind having a few cups of coffee for free at the office, or muffins that a co-worker brought in. I don't know, does that make them a freeloader, too? I think we all need to get off our high horse and respect the love that's given freely and humbly accept it.
Slipstream
We're on the same page about this. Kindness and allowing people their dignity are good things.Thanks for commenting 🙂