When Nancy Gonzalez walked into the D10 Community Market in San Francisco on a recent afternoon, her refrigerator at home was empty.
“Right now, I’m out of food stamps and Wic,” said Gonzalez, 25, referring to the USDA supplemental food program for women, infants and children. She pushed her one-month-old daughter in a stroller as her sister-in-law and two-year-old niece followed with a shopping cart choosing the necessities: milk, eggs, bread, cornmeal, fresh pasta and organic fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, red onions and sweet potatoes – all for free, with no line.