You have a point. But processed food is shelf-stable, cost-effective, and much easier to store and distribute. And most of what I see on Da Market’s shelves is single-ingredient items - tuna, corn, peanut butter, tomatoes - or things people eat every day, like tortillas and bread. That spells “real food” to me. Plus, Da Market is offering fresh produce… not equal to demand, but more every day. Keep in mind that most food bank patrons aren’t getting their entire diet there; free staples like these leave more room in their budget to buy fresh produce. (And an occasional shave ice, because sometimes you gotta feed the soul too.)

@@stannieholt8766 I wish you were more familiar with the message of Healing Humanity and the effects of most of those single ingredient/everyday items you identify as "real food". Feeding the soul or feeding addiction??? I'm sorry to be the pessimist here, but the dietary guidelines and advice from certified nutrition "professionals" doesn't seem to work. What does work is a proper human diet. Imagine everyone being free of chronic disease/pain, pharmaceuticals and expensive health care interventions. I respect all the efforts by Da Market to provide the best possible sustenance to struggling individuals. I was pretty devastated when I learned the truth about the tooth fairy, Easter bunny and Santa Claus. With that in mind, what I've discovered about medical knowledge related to nutrition makes me realize how different our world could be if people knew the truth. Aloha and God bless all my neighbors/ohana on Maui 🤙