---
title: "Treating food insecurity as a PR playground is a failure of leadership."
url: https://sam-page.com/thinking/treating-food-insecurity-as-a-pr-playground-is-a-failure-of-leadership
date: 2026-02-05
author: Sam Page
type: Post or article
categories: [People and behaviour, Marketing]
reading_time: 1 min
summary: "Genuine impact quietly provides support for those that need it. Here's why we must do better."
first_published: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Ashare%3A7425253157066309632
---

# Treating food insecurity as a PR playground is a failure of leadership.

Genuine impact quietly provides support for those that need it.  
Here's why we must do better.

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/treating-food-insecurity-as-a-pr-playground-is-a-failure-of-leadership-li1.webp)

I’ve been watching the "free supermarket" wars between Polymarket and Kalshi in NYC. It’s an impressive "logistical feat", and I’m glad to see they’ve included food bank support in the mix.

But as I look at it through the lens of a business leader and a charity trustee, it overwhelmingly feels like bad business.

For every bag of groceries handed to a tech-savvy passerby, how much was spent on PR agencies, NYC permits, and branding?

As a Trustee for Kingston Giving, I'm all to aware of the struggle on the ground every day.

Those same marketing budgets could probably fund a local food bank’s logistics for an entire year, reaching the vulnerable people who aren't looking for a "pop-up" on social media.

I believe technology and business should be a force for good, but that means solving problems for the people who need it most, not just the ones who make for a good photo op.

When did we start valuing the spectacle over the solution?

I’d love to hear from other leaders and my friends in the third sector on this.

How do we encourage businesses to focus on REAL impact?