in Brooklyn, you’ll find classic baked goods like croissants, cakes and biscuits. But something sets Kearsley’s shop apart: Her business welcomes customers using EBT and SNAP, government food assistance programs.
“There's still millions of people in America who will receive these benefits. And they just want a snack, right? They just want something sweet to eat. And many places don't offer these things for the community,” she says. “I made sure that whenever I opened my bakery, I was going to be for the community and affordable, something that anyone on any budget could afford.”
“I was giving away a lot of food because they were just so curious,” she says. “This is how I got the neighborhood to just come in and try everything. And as a new business, giving things away for free is not ideal. But my mission was literally to just change their mindsets.” “It was never a second guess for me to have these SNAP benefits taken in my store. A lot of people questioned me, ‘Why?’ Like, ‘You don't want that image attached to you.