Changing the Narrative of Food Pantries with Shubbie Aishida
Changing the Narrative of Food Pantries with Shubbie Aishida
Founder of the Peace Haven Freedom Store
Every individual has the capacity to impact the world in a profound way.
Each day, our fellow humans dream up the change they want to see in the world and pursue those dreams, eventually stitching those ambitions into the earthly fabric or our neighborhoods.
This phenomena of grassroots mobilization and community-building has propelled societies forward for centuries. Think: mutual aid, home and communal kitchens, street vendors, mom and pop shops, libraries, garage art studios, community gardens, disability advocacy groups, hospital facilities, citizen-led revitalization projects…the list goes on. Most everything delightful around us has been initiated by the extraordinary powers inherent in eachl of us - the kind that transforms “what-if” daydreams and insomnia-driven hopes into real life.
It is precisely this enabling type of power - an absolute zest and embodiment of positive change - that deeply touches me in my conversation with Olasubomi (“Shubbie”) Aishida: a creative, ambitious, and compassionate individual who has been contributing to the livelihood of Hayward, CA and its surrounding community for years.
Meet Shubbie Aishida, founder of the Peace Haven Freedom Store
All at once a gentle soul and a force of nature, Shubbie is a particular type of entrepreneur: one who rolls up her sleeves and re-envisions empty storefronts into community-centered infrastructures by day, and - by night - nurtures countless households with warmth, laughter, and food.When the sun comes out, Shubbie co-runs a highly-acclaimed Nigerian restaurant in Downtown Hayward, CA (Golden Safari Restaurant and Bakery) and - a few blocks away - a volunteer-based community goods store (Peace Haven Freedom Store). Both efforts are deeply rooted in the people and needs of the area, and serve multiple purposes. For example, the Golden Safari is as much an eatery as it is a pseudo-youth center for the local Nigerian community (employing cohorts of young people who are then guded to stay in school and pursue four-year college degrees after graduation). When the sun sets, Shubbie hops into her family van (a truly multipurpose vehicle) to drop off beautifully cooked meals and fresh produce to families all around, an effort that is the combined forces of the restaurant and store.
On a hot summer afternoon, Shubbie greets me at the entrance of 1063 A Street, Hayward CA dressed in a loose T-shirt, lightweight trousers, worn-out sneakers, and a lop-sided backpack slung over her shoulders. About to close up shop (the Freedom Store is open every Tuesday and Friday from 9am to 11am), she attends to her last customer while simultaneously giving directions to her volunteer staff and motioning me to make myself at home, nudging a wheeled office chair in my direction. After she wraps up a sweet conversation with the last patron, she joins me at the front for some storytime.
In 2019, Shubbie launched the Peace Haven, a non-profit helping to provide food and meals to families, individuals, and organizations including first responders, healthcare workers, and seniors. Then, in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic flooded her community with even more need than before, she expanded the Peace Haven’s food delivery from one-on-one (e.g., directly to residences and business facilities) to a physical location where community members could shop at. The store location, once a barber shop, was named the Peace Haven Freedom Store (“the Freedom Store”). Thus, Shubbie’s self-funded dream to serve and support the wellbeing, health, and happiness of all individuals across the East Bay and beyond came to life.
On the outset, the Freedom Store acts like your average grocery store: think automatic sliding glass doors, green shopping carts with the inevitable sticky wheel, aisles of shelf-stable pantry items, and commercial refrigerators stocked with everything from halal meats, to plant-based burgers, and frozen seafood. On the days that the store is open, there is usually a line outside starting at 7:30 AM.
What’s different about the Freedom Store?
Everything is free-of-charge. Whether it be children’s and adult’s apparel in the back corner, tampons and allergy medicines on the far right shelves, or whole frozen chickens in the freezer, everything in the store is made available for free. And that’s the whole point: a place where everyone has the choice and agency to pick up what they need without judgment and shame, or financial constraint. A large selection of fresh ingredients, pre-made hot meals, and personal necessities are donated from local organizations including food banks (i.e., Alameda County Food Bank, Daily Bowl, Hope 4 the Heart, StopWaste) and restaurants, and presented in a manner that is inclusive and respectful.
Above all, the Freedom Store is a celebration for dignified living, a safe space for all, a place for connection, and an avenue for all individuals to exist together in harmony (there is no income minimum or maximum, or any other requirement for that matter). Shubbie emphasizes that the store is open to everyone - impoverished or not, housed or not, employed or not, etc. Whether it be individuals who are permanently homeless, are recently laid off from a high-paying job in tech, run between multiple employers and children’s care facilities, have a permanent or temporary disability and living off a bare-minimum benefits check, or just a youth walking home from school, the Freedom Store welcomes (and is designed for) every person.
“It’s a place where people can be happy,” and to be supported to live their happiest lives, Shubbie describes.
“It’s a place where people can be happy” - Shubbie Aishida
“If swinging by for a few items from the store helps you get home quicker to have an extra thirty minutes to nap before a graveyard shift or caregiving duty, we want you to come!”
Freedom and Belonging
So…the Freedom Store is essentially a food pantry. Right?
Not quite. While Shubbie admires the dedication and work of soup kitchens and meal centers all around the globe and in her local Bay Area, the Freedom Store is a recognition that “every person deserves a dignified way of getting free food and essential goods.” At the store, people get to choose for themselves what to put in their shopping cart, as long as they follow the guidelines (published daily) denoting the item limits for each food category. And, just like a traditional grocery store, individuals are invited to browse the neatly stocked shelves for whatever their needs might be.
Having volunteered at food banks herself, Shubbie is often saddened to see a lot of the food go to waste because they don’t meet individuals’ dietary or nutritional needs, preferences, or religion-based observations or standards. It is rare to see that folks visiting shelters and food banks have the opportunity to be picky about what they like and don’t like, especially among high-quality ingredients, and without the stigma of rummaging through expired milk cartons, rotten crates of tomatoes, or being handed pre-assembled brown bags with rationed goods.
“The Freedom Store seeks to change the narrative of food pantries,” Shubbie shares. “Our main goal is to make sure people have the freedom to choose…People just want to feel seen and belong.”
Through each of her ventures, Shubbie caters specifically to her community. At the Freedom Store, she works hard to provide patrons with the breadth of choices that those visiting a traditional grocery store might experience. For example, she knows that most of the senior citizens of Asian descent always bypass the snack section and go straight to selecting fresh vegetables (sometimes grabbing a noodle packet or two). So, Shubbie makes sure to prioritize sourcing the vegetables that are most part of their diet. She also has regulars who are vegetarian and vegan, so she advocates for these preferences when she reaches out for donations and community collaborations. She also tells me about another one of her regulars: an older man who communicates primarily in Spanish with some broken English, who only comes in for eggs; so, Shubbie keeps a small stash of eggs just for him behind the cashier’s counter so he has them even when the main supply runs out.
Over the course of the store’s lifetime, Shubbie and her team have also authored a set of community rules to ensure that everyone entering the store contributes to its positivity and values. These are posted at the front of the store, and include things like “no stealing,” “no harassment of any kind,” and “treat everyone with respect”.
Shubbie recounts the joy of seeing her community frequent the store: “Two friends, an older guy in his 70s and a younger guy, always come to the store with their heads held up high and exuding so much joy.” Shubbie cannot help but smile. “Even though I can’t understand the language they are speaking, I can observe from their body language and expressions that they are proud to come to the Freedom Store. They are happy to be here.”
These moments are the best gift Shubbie could ask for.
In fact, Mary Otegbade, one of Shubbie’s first volunteers and a long-time partner in the effort, has this to say about the founder: “I met Shubbie from the Golden Safari Restaurant, and to see the story of the Freedom Store go this far is absolutely amazing. It is not just a place where people get food…it is a place that everyone can connect.”
Hinting at perhaps another idea in the future, Mary adds: “And, Shubbie has big dreams.”
An Intergenerational Journey: Food and Community
When I ask Shubbie to share more about her journey to being a social-minded entrepreneur, she is quick to take me back to her childhood.
“I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and was the youngest of four kids. My mom, a fashion designer, came from a well-to-do family, so my siblings and I grew up privileged. I did not personally understand or experience poverty. But, my father always made sure we understood what opportunities were available to some but not others - and showed us (by example) the value of giving back to the community as much as possible. Unlike our mom, he came from humble beginnings.” Shubbie scrunches her forehead as she thinks back to her early life.
“There were always people from the neighborhood staying at our house overnight or joining us for dinner. The house was always very full. Actually, my father helped send many children to school who couldn’t afford it, including sponsoring college tuitions.” As a child, Shubbie and her siblings would sometimes complain about their father doing so much (too much) in the community. It was an inconvenience to share their room, toys, and books with other kids all the time…
Little did Shubbie know that she would one day be in a position where her husband and kids would remind her the same thing: to not overextend herself, taking care of everyone else’s needs except her own, and to please take a vacation once in a while.
After high school, Shubbie stayed in Nigeria for college then moved to London for her Master’s degree in international development and social work. After her Master’s, Shubbie worked in the health and human services sector at various organizations supporting healthcare and housing access, eventually deciding to pursue a PhD in health care studies. During this time, she also traveled back and forth between London and the U.S., where she met her now-husband (and biggest cheerleader) Bisi Oparinde, and was on the visa lottery waitlist. After meeting Bisi, while her intention was always to move back to London, Shubbie became pregnant with their first child and so quickly made a new home in the States: first in Chicago, IL then New Jersey, and eventually the San Francisco Bay Area (San Jose, then Hayward).
When - then - did she take her first leap as an entrepreneur? Answer: When she quit her PhD program and co-founded the first Nigerian restaurant in Hayward, CA with her husband.
“While I was in my PhD program, my dad asked me one day: ‘Why are you getting your PhD?’ Not having a great answer, I replied: ‘Because I just want one!’” At the time, Shubbie felt that continuing to pursue a higher education just made sense on her path. “My dad responded: “Shubbie, you have many passions…what are your passions? Find them, and go pursue your dreams.” Shubbie’s eyes light up as she recalls the way her father ignited this fire within her to build something that truly mattered to her, and that would matter to the world.
So, already being the well-known cook and baker among her friends and neighbors in Hayward, Shubbie got to thinking up an idea of a restaurant: a place where she could cook and share the comfort foods she grew up eating in Nigeria. In retrospect, this passion and competence had been present for her whole life - ever since she and her sisters would have impromptu cooking competitions at home and the house would be filled with delicious smells from her parents’ food catering side business.
Thus, in 2017 (after two years of planning and investment), Golden Safari Restaurant and Bakery was born. It quickly attracted prominent articles and blogs raving about the establishment, and became her happy place.
As the restaurant became a home for the community, where stories would be exchanged and meals would be shared, the seeds of the Freedom Store were planted (further solidified by the wave of depression and desperation that came with the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020). As the pandemic shook restaurants and small-businesses to their core, Shubbie proposed an idea to the team - one that would pivot the restaurant’s operations and finances completely.
“When the pandemic happened, there were two things [options]. It was either to shut down the restaurant and people would lose work, or we would have leftover food.” To Shubbie, it was a no-brainer that the restaurant would dedicate its efforts to giving back.
While Shubbie’s restaurant team was initially confused and anxious about the idea to deliver free food across the community (“We are struggling already, so how can we afford to give more to the community?”), many of them knew people who had some capacity to help out with the effort. Youth from local high schools (friends’ kids, etc.) looking for summer jobs were also brought on board. Thus began the restaurant’s free meal service to fire stations and hospitals, outreach to food pharmacies and food pantries to expand their network and service capacity, and pursuit of various forms of funding (including a GoFundMe page that was not so fruitful).
Shubbie reflects on this milestone so fondly, and emphasizes the ginormous role that community has played in the evolution of the Freedom Store. Community has always been the heart of Shubbie’s values, upbringing, and way of life, but the transition of the restaurant into the beginnings of the Peace Haven non-profit demonstrated, more than ever, that the power of people who truly care about preserving and nurturing their collective sense of home will bring immense good and unfathomable miracles at every turn.
Community Milestones and Looking to the Future
As Shubbie and I conclude our conversation, we circle back to the subject of faith and trust: the belief that, if one puts good into the world, more good will manifest. For Shubbie, at every stage where she thought something could not be done, or that there would not be enough money to support the store’s construction, or if it seemed like no food was coming in on a given week, something would turn up.
“It always works out, somehow,” Shubbie assures me.
A quick example includes the fact that, unbeknownst to her, her landlord at the Golden Safari was also the owner of the old barbershop Shubbie ended up taking over with the store; the landlord had so much faith in her from the restaurant that he offered the space at a discounted rate and also pitched in to renovate the curb appeal and inside. Another is the gracious provision of laptops and other store equipment by the Alameda County Food Bank, which greatly improves Shubbie’s ability to track and calculate food pickup, the store’s specific needs in each food category, donation channels, partnerships, and inventory.
Then there are individuals from the organization called Inspire Higher, who come to the store every Monday to help stack shelves. The organization supports adults with disabilities and partners with community organizations to provide a variety of help. Shubbie is beyond grateful, and hopes to be able to support paid staff in addition to volunteers to support the store’s growth: “They are fantastic people, and they help us out so much.”
A huge part of the Freedom Store’s success is also the involvement of some key individuals. For one, Shubbie’s husband Bisi carries the brunt of the business administration (taxes, accounting, information technology support) in addition to playing the part of part-time caregiver for their two kids while working from home.
“[Shubbie] always has these fearless, out-of-the-blue ideas,” Bissie shares. “When she keeps on repeating them, that’s when you know she [has her mind set] and will make it happen.”
Shubbie [about her husband]: “It is the best feeling to come home to a house where [you are] praised for pursuing your dreams, and people you love express how incredibly proud of you they are. [Bisi] always tells me: ‘if you believe in it, go for it!’”
“It is the best feeling to come home to a house where [you are] praised for pursuing your dreams, and people you love express how incredibly proud of you they are.” - Shubbie Aishida
And, this dynamic in the home is positively powerful.
Another key individual is Mary Otegbade, manager at The Golden Safari. Mary shares a lot of the workload of picking up food donations (one of the most challenging parts of the operation) and the regular coordination of the store. Mary [on the Freedom Store]: “Families come through with even their newborns and toddlers, and we see them grow up.” In the spirit of being grateful that all of this beauty is possible because of Shubbie’s ambitions and belief in herself and her community, she reflects on how much wholeness the store has brought to their community: “We are a part of them [families], and they are a part of us.”
“We are a part of them [families], and they are a part of us.” - Mary Otegbade
So, what does Shubbie dream for the future of the Peace Haven Freedom Store?
Shubbie dreams of pursuing more grants and earning the ability to pay staff.. She also has a long-term vision of opening a community center, a goal that is much larger than the restaurant and store combined: to build a place that offers opportunity for gathering, connection, support, communing, and togetherness.
So, with that, dear Shubbie - our community thanks you for your incredible zest and dedication to serving others and bettering the community around you.
Dearest readers, thank you for sharing in celebrating Shubbie and her transformational power of change. If you have not yet visited the Peace Haven Freedom Store, you can visit the establishment at 1063 A Street, Hayward CA. Also, please consider donating to the Peace Haven’s cause. And, if you’d like to volunteer your skills (e.g., grant writing, social media, stocking), Shubbie’s team would be thrilled to hear from you!