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“Paterson is not just a food desert, it is also a food swamp. A Better Market is helping get the best foods and the best prices to the community.” - Shana Mandrage
City Green’s Good Food Bucks Program is happy to announce that A Better Market, located in Paterson in Passaic County, has joined the Good Food Bucks Program. A Better Market was opened in August 2024 by Shana Mandrage, a Paterson native who saw a need in her community for affordable healthy food. This Black woman owned and operated business offers a unique shopping experience and has become a beacon for food access in its community.
A Better Market is Passaic county’s first “healthy corner store” and offers a variety of items from fruits and vegetables, dry goods, home and personal care products, to beverages and meat. With her mission to bring quality and affordable goods to her community, Shana immediately applied to take SNAP transactions at her store. Applying to take SNAP got her one step closer to increasing the spectrum of people her store could benefit with A Better Market.
Soon after Shana became a SNAP authorized retailer, A Better Market joined the Good Food Bucks Program. For Shana, “being a Good Food Bucks retailer allows the community to have their dollars stretch further. We all know the most vulnerable get the least and with the GFB program the healthiest portions of their meals are now more affordable”.
An integral part of the store’s commitment to community action and promoting farm to fork eating is their partnership with Green Acre Community Garden. Situated right across the street from A Better Market is Green Acre Community Garden, an urban community garden run by Deacon Davis. Together these two organizations work together to teach the community about sustainable food systems and healthy eating.
A Better Market operates the Good Food Bucks program through a 50% discount on all fruits and vegetables purchased, meaning if you shop with SNAP you can receive double the amount of produce with every purchase!
A Better Market is located at 215 Rosa Parks Blvd in Paterson NJ, and is open Monday through Saturday from 7am-7pm and Sundays from 10am-4pm. Check out their website for more information as well as their instagram page!
“The mission, vision, and goal of A Better Market is simply to bring quality and affordable produce and healthier options of food to the community” - Shana Mandrage
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