By Gina Plata-Nino, JD, Deputy Director of SNAP, FRAC, and John Benedict, CEO, farmer, and co-founder of The Local Co-op in rural Arizona.
This article is part of a series examining the wide-reaching — and often overlooked —consequences of proposed SNAP cuts. Gina Plata-Nino, JD, deputy director of SNAP at FRAC, speaks with John Benedict, CEO, farmer, and co-founder of The Local Co-op in rural Arizona. His story offers a powerful example of how local food systems, entrepreneurship, and SNAP work together to support not only food access — but entire communities.