234: How Hope Markets transform food assistance with Stacy Bleuel

Lately, here on this show, we're exploring what happens when hope moves from feeling to doing, from possibility to practice. And today, we're continuing our journey inside one of The Salvation Army's recent transformations: Hope Markets.

As we covered in our recent "Hope in Action" issue of the magazine, these aren't your typical food pantries. In Hope Markets across the Northwest, people don't receive pre-packed boxes—they shop for their own groceries, selecting fresh produce under gentle misters, browsing grocery-style shelves and building relationships along the way.

It's meeting need in a more personal way when the need is great. Right now, more than 47 million people in the U.S. face hunger, including 1 in 5 children, according to the USDA. And in one recent year alone, more than 50 million people turned to charitable food assistance for extra help.

Across the Northwest Division, Hope Markets served more than 457,000 people in 2024.  

But to understand the real impact of this model, we need to talk with someone who's lived both sides of the experience.

Stacy Bleuel is the Social Services Coordinator at The Salvation Army in Puyallup, Washington. Years ago, she arrived at their doors—not as an employee, but as someone seeking help. Homeless, grieving and struggling to care for her three children, Stacy came through a state assistance program.

Today, she runs the Hope Market in the very place that once helped her rebuild her life.

And her journey from Salvation Army food recipient to janitor to program coordinator isn't just inspiring—it's a living example of what's possible when we create spaces where hope is both given and received.

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