Conversations on Abundance: What a Farmers Market, Food Rescue, and Pokémon GO Have in Common
By Alexis Buss
When Bilal, the site manager for The Food Trust’s Clark Park Farmers Market, invited me to write a post for this blog, it was right after one of those weird and wonderful conversations that stick with you.
We had been talking about how uncertain everything feels right now — from grocery prices to food access — and how everyone who handles food, whether as a vendor, organizer, or shopper, seems to be carrying a little extra worry. People are thinking hard about what it means to feed themselves and their families, and what community support looks like when times are tight.
But as we stood there in the park, with the farm stands and the smell of fresh bread and falling leaves in the air, Bilal and I started talking about something else: abundance. Not the kind that comes from having more things, but the kind that comes from sharing what we already have, connecting with others, and finding joy in that exchange.
The idea of turning scarcity into abundance through community is what brings me to the market every Saturday. I started doing food rescue as a teenager, long before it was called that. Now, I volunteer with Philly Food Rescue, a program of Share Foods, helping divert food from waste streams and get it to people who need it. Every week, my work with PFR gives me opportunities to see what happens when food that might have gone to waste instead becomes nourishment.
I’ve always been a little hesitant about traditional food drives because I see the waste in other areas. Why ask people to buy new food to donate when so much perfectly good food never makes it into bellies? The work of rescuing, redistributing, and retooling our food systems feels more hopeful and interesting.
Still, there’s something deeply human about the act of giving, of choosing to contribute something tangible, especially with times as they are. And getting an influx of non-perishable food right now helps fill the gap for the same families I usually support through bringing foods that are perishable (and often actively perishing). That’s what led me to blend two unexpected worlds: food access and Pokémon GO.
If you’ve never played, Pokémon GO is mostly about catching and battling cute creatures called Pokémon. There’s also plenty of resource management in collecting, trading, and sharing items to build team strength. But the real magic happens outside the app, when “trainers” gather in their neighborhoods to explore, collaborate, and connect. In that way, it’s not so different from what makes the Clark Park market so wonderful: a shared space where people come together for exchange, discovery, and community.
When our regional Pokémon GO Community Ambassadors began planning a Community Celebrations event in Philadelphia, we knew we wanted to do something that reflected that same spirit of abundance. Together with Philly Food Rescue, we have organized a food drive to benefit families across the city — not just as a one-day gesture, but as a reminder that small actions, repeated across communities, add up to something meaningful.
When I think back to that conversation with Bilal, I realize what we were really talking about was connection. Whether it’s through food, play, or a shared purpose, we can all feel abundance when we choose to act to care for one another. In a moment filled with panic, let’s take the time to notice how simple connections can ripple outward, turning small acts of care into something much bigger. Whether it’s sharing a meal, rescuing food, or gathering with friends and neighbors in a park to play and give, abundance grows when we choose to show up for one another.
Join Alexis and Pokémon GO trainers from across the Delaware Valley on Sunday, November 16, 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM, Drexel Square, 30th and Market, for a special day of play, giveaways, and community; and, of course, bring a donation of nonperishable food for their food drive if you can! More information on Instagram: @pogophilly
Interested in contributing a guest post to The Food Trust’s blog? Email us at contact@thefoodtrust.org.