An Interview With Martita Mestey
I don’t have regrets about my career path and can’t remember a time when I asked myself that question. Rather than thinking about “I wish I had not,” I typically marvel at how a certain experience or path actually presented a tool or a connection that became very useful in a more meaningful project down the road. I would never say “Everything happens for a reason” as that could not be more untrue, but I do try to find value in every chapter of my career, no matter how mundane or unpleasant it was at the time. Everything I have done has led to this point where I am able to leverage my resources and position to address specific needs within our communities.
In many parts of the United States, there is a crisis of people having limited reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. As prices rise, this problem will likely become more acute. How can this problem be solved? Who are the leaders helping to address this crisis?
In this interview series, we are talking to leaders who are helping to address the increasing problem of food insecurity who can share the initiatives they are leading to address and solve this problem.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Sara Osborne.
Sara Osborne is the Government and Public Affairs Director for the Seattle Division of Albertsons Companies (dba Safeway, Albertsons and Haggen in Washington). In her role, Sara leads government affairs, philanthropic giving, media relations, and internal communications for the company in Washington, Alaska, and northern Idaho. She is a lifelong Washingtonian, mother of two children and a dog, and enjoys shopping for food, cooking food, eating food, and thinking about food.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
My path here was probably like many others — winding, with unexpected turns, steep hills, and rarely appropriate for cruise control. My passion for dedicating my career to improve resources for those who need them was ignited at the University of Washington, where I studied the failings of the criminal justice system, and then fueled at Howard University School of Law, where they teach their students to be “social engineers.” I started a legal career and left that to come to Safeway/Albertsons, where I found that by working within the food system, I could help improve the way we provide this fundamental need to those who struggle to access it.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
My work is so varied, and every day is interesting to me. It would be difficult to pick just one.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
The “tipping point” was certainly when I found my courage. The courage to keep those who are struggling with hunger front of mind and speak on their behalf as Safeway/Albertsons created programs and made decisions related to our role in the community. I came to the grocery industry with a different perspective than most who had developed their career working up the ranks from retail to management, then leadership. To the credit of so many of our leaders, they valued the different perspective, and encouraged it to be certain we were not, as a company, acting from a myopic point of view. I spent a great deal of time in my initial years in this position gaining an understanding of the role supermarkets play in their communities, in the food system, in relationship to food banking, and most importantly, with those who are falling through the cracks of the food system and struggling with hunger in silence.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There is no way I could name just one person. I have had numerous people shine a light on me within my company, but also so appreciate the wise counsel and perspective I’ve received from advisors in the non-profit and government sectors.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Collaborative — A true solution almost always requires considering a range of perspectives and being nimble enough to adjust as hurdles arise. As we measure the success of programs, I am consistently checking in to understand whether the program is achieving its desired outcome for all involved.
Patience — When I decide to try a new program, I don’t expect immediate results, but rather will be patient and adjust toward indicators of success over time.
Determination — At various times, I have encountered indifference, doubt or pushback when proposing new programs. I am confident in my research and decisions and will continue to communicate, persuade and push forward.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Character is who you are when no one is looking.”
This quote really stayed with me when I first read it, and it’s been up in my office for years. It still seems to make people pause, and likely all have different reactions to it. For me, it made me more determined to act and make decisions — when people are indeed looking — consistent with my character.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Can you describe to our readers how your work is helping to address the challenge of food insecurity?
Our work is a human-based approach that is considering food insecurity from the perspective of those experiencing it, rather than a “system” approach. Our approach is designed to enhance and supplement the current tools relied upon in our country to fight food insecurity — food banking and basic food assistance.
The first example is that, instead of hosting food drives, we now lead fundraising drives and use those funds to distribute grocery cards throughout the state via hundreds of community partners. Many people who don’t have the means to get food on the table for every meal don’t utilize food banks. Sometimes that is because they can’t get to the location, or the days or hours of operation don’t line up with their work schedule. Others have issues with the food offered, whether it is concerns about quality or cultural appropriateness, or the fact they don’t have a kitchen to cook in. Many simply don’t want to experience the stigma or shame they associate with needing a food bank.
The cards are also a necessary resource for those who DO use a food bank. Many also need help accessing fresh foods that food banks may not be able to offer, like more produce, dairy products, fresh meats, and even spices or other culturally familiar foods. In addition, the cards can also help with basic needs like hygiene items, diapers, and even pet food.
Just as importantly, the cards provide them the dignity to shop like everyone else in the community and put the choice of what food to eat and feed their families back in the hands of those who should have it.
Lastly, distributing grocery cards instead of food allows more partners in the fight against food insecurity, like schools, clinics, and community organizations, to distribute cards directly to those in need at a location they already frequent. In this way, access to food is provided at the same time as services designed to help people out of the situation which led to their food insecurity in the first place.
The next example is our produce vouchers and incentives. These programs add to general food aid and also change the buying power and habits of SNAP users — with the intention of improving long-term health outcomes.
Working with the State of Washington Department of Health, Safeway became the first grocery retailer to redeem SNAP Produce Match coupons. This first-in-the-nation program is designed to encourage those enrolled in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to consume more fruits and vegetables. The program offers a coupon for $5 of free produce when a shopper buys $10 of produce using SNAP benefits.
From 2017 through 2019, participants in this program redeemed over $2.7 million worth of produce from participating Washington stores. Also, those using the SNAP Produce Match coupons purchased 15% more produce than the prior year, and this increase is continuing year on year. The SNAP Produce Match program has been so successful in increasing the consumption of healthy produce that Safeway is funding a pilot to increase the incentive from a $5 coupon to a $10 coupon for each $10 of products purchased.
We also partner with the state on its Fruit and Vegetable Prescription program. Working with local health clinics and organizations, we are providing grocery cards, so when they identify families who are struggling with food insecurity, they can provide them with direct assistance. Our stores also redeem prescriptions for fruits and vegetables which health providers can prescribe to improve the nutrition and overall health of their patients.
The final example is the introduction of online ordering using SNAP benefits at Safeway. Now SNAP shoppers can shop online and have their groceries delivered or arrange to pick them up at their local store with DriveUp & Go™. These services make shopping at our stores equitable for everyone no matter what their payment method. This is another way we can improve access to food and make shopping more convenient for those experiencing food insecurity.
All of these initiatives stem from Albertsons Companies’ long-term commitment to eradicating hunger in America. In 2020, through the Albertsons Companies Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors program, the company enabled 350 million meals, invested $10.4 million in schools to feed kids, and provided $9 million towards empowering BIPOC communities through hunger programs. Albertsons Companies also set a year-long giving record in 2020 with $260 million in food and monetary donations to hunger relief agencies and food banks. In addition, since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020 created unprecedented uncertainty and need throughout the country, Nourishing Neighbors has raised nearly $100 million for community hunger relief. Albertsons Cos. has provided a $53 million commitment to the fund, and the company’s generous customers have donated an additional $44 million at the register. All donations stay local to help fight hunger in the communities served by the company.
Can you share something about your work that makes you most proud? Is there a particular story or incident that you found most uplifting?
This past holiday season, while I was shopping for Thanksgiving, I heard a very enthusiastic request for donations over our store intercom which included, “these donations will allow local families experiencing food insecurity the dignity to shop with their neighbors and choose their own foods — the greatest gift of all.” Hearing that unique message in the store I shop in almost every day, and at that time of year, instantly made me well up and have so much gratitude for what our store teams do to help everyone in their communities.
In your opinion, what should other business and civic leaders do to further address these problems? Can you please share a few things that can be done to further address the problem of food insecurity?
In my opinion, I believe it would be beneficial for community leaders to analyze the food banking and food assistance programs as if they have amnesia and know nothing about how the system has functioned for decades. Wipe the slate clean, bring all leaders of the food system together, including the private sector, and ask, “With today’s resources, technology and knowledge, how would you solve food insecurity?”
And with each solution they pose, then ask themselves, “If I’m experiencing food insecurity, how would the way this assistance is provided make me feel?” It is very important to take a human-centered approach to developing long-term solutions.
Are there other leaders or organizations who have done good work to address the challenge of food scarcity? Can you tell us what they have done? What specifically impresses you about their work? Perhaps we can reach out to them to include them in this series.
Northwest Harvest is not only a food bank distribution organization, but also a respected advisor and resource in the state’s effort toward truly ending food insecurity. The people experiencing food insecurity are central to all their programs and philosophy, and they have the courage to proclaim food as a right and call for revolutionizing the food banking system, with the genuine goal of making the role food pantries play today unnecessary. I believe they are at the forefront of the shift in how our country will work to prevent and end food insecurity.
If you had the power to influence legislation, are there laws that you would like to see introduced that might help you in your work?
Personally, I believe it would be tremendously beneficial for SNAP to be increased with the “Low-Cost Meal Plan” utilized as the basis for the calculation, as well as the national expansion of the production incentive and voucher programs. Both would not only greatly reduce food insecurity, but undoubtedly also improve long-term health outcomes for the recipients.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
I don’t have regrets about my career path and can’t remember a time when I asked myself that question. Rather than thinking about “I wish I had not,” I typically marvel at how a certain experience or path actually presented a tool or a connection that became very useful in a more meaningful project down the road. I would never say “Everything happens for a reason” as that could not be more untrue, but I do try to find value in every chapter of my career, no matter how mundane or unpleasant it was at the time. Everything I have done has led to this point where I am able to leverage my resources and position to address specific needs within our communities.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Of course, my movement would focus on revolutionizing the food assistance program and ending food insecurity in the United States. With the help of civic leaders, community organizations and private sector programs like the ones we have launched at Safeway, more people would be able to live healthier lives. We could also reduce the stigma around assistance programs by allowing all people to shop for the food they want and need with dignity, as well as inspire people who qualify for such programs, but don’t use them, to sign up. I am confident that if we eliminate the burden of finding food for now 1 in 10 people in our country, they will be that much closer to improving their life situation that led to their need for the assistance.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
MacKenzie Scott. I’d love to talk to her about funding some expansive pilots that could be an influential proving ground for food systems innovations based on the real experiences of people facing food insecurity.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
For more information about:
Safeway’s new services for SNAP customers, please visit www.safeway.com/ebtonline
The State of Washington’s Fruit and Vegetable Incentive programs, please visit here.
Albertsons Companies’ commitment to hunger relief, please visit here.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much, and we wish you only continued success.
How Sara Osborne Of Safeway Is Helping To Address The Growing Challenge Of Food Insecurity was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.