Amidst the government shutdown that has caused the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to lose essential funding, millions of families across the U.S. are left unfed during the current month of November.

SNAP benefits ran out on Nov. 1 for the 42 million Americans who depend on them for essential food and nutrition. According to Congresswoman Shontel Brown, the Trump Administration ordered these crucial benefits, which are loaded onto an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, to be paused due to partisan disagreement over a funding bill in the Senate.  

The U.S. Department of Agriculture wrote in an online notice that “Senate Democrats have now voted 13 times to not fund the food stamp program. Bottom line, the well has run dry. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”

Laerke Christensen of Snopes begs to differ. In an article on Snopes, the oldest and largest online fact-checking website, Christensen stated that Democrats did not vote against funding SNAP, but rather voted against a Republican-issued continuing resolution that contained limits on health insurance tax credits and other controversial policies. 

Nonetheless, regardless of who is to be blamed, this abrupt disruption in SNAP funding has put millions of Americans at risk of starvation. According to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, on average, SNAP benefits provide $187 to each person per month. In California, according to the San Francisco Human Services Agency, a family of four can receive up to $994 per month from SNAP welfare.  

“Many of our workers come from immigrant and working-class backgrounds. We know what it’s like to experience food insecurity firsthand. We see business and the community as interdependent and caring for one ensures the other survives,” said Jenabi Pareja of Understory, a worker-owned restaurant based in Oakland. 

Along with 24 other states, California sued the Trump Administration for this sudden suspension, according to CBS News. In a court hearing on Oct. 31, federal judge John McConnell of Rhode Island ordered the administration to either use the SNAP contingency fund and other accessible resources to supplant 100% of the November SNAP benefits by Nov. 3, or, if that is not possible, to fund a partial amount of benefits by Nov. 5. 

According to CNN, the administration announced that it would be using the $4.5 billion SNAP contingency fund to pay for 50% of the November SNAP benefits. Although this provides some relief, families still face a significant shortfall, receiving half of the amount of their usual nutrition. Additionally, the administration has warned that there may be a significant delay in the redistribution of benefits for weeks or even months. 

As such, restaurants around the Bay Area have stepped up to serve the community. 

Tony & Alba’s Pizza & Pasta was the first restaurant to call attention to the issue. In an Instagram post on Oct. 28, the owners announced that “holding back the $5 billion emergency fund for food and letting children go to bed hungry is child abuse,” and that the restaurant was “calling out the Bay Area restaurant community to start a SNAP meal program to feed children and adults.”

Instagram users tagged their favorite restaurants in the comment section, and soon, a movement began to unfold. Shortly after Tony & Alba’s announced that the restaurant would be supplying children with free meals until SNAP was refunded, several other Bay Area restaurants followed suit to provide children and adults with free or discounted meals.

“We all have to eat. It’s a common thread through all of us. Having people who are disadvantaged, who don’t have the money to eat, troubles me. Soup has a history of feeding people who are in need, like the soup lines during the Great Depression. I feel an immense responsibility to be a power of good and serve the community. That’s what soup is meant for. It’s for the people,” said John Lindsey, the owner of Rusty Ladle, a soup restaurant located in San Francisco.

Lindsey is providing children who are SNAP recipients with a free soup cup, bowl, or hot dog per week until further notice. Parents are offered a 25% discount.

Monster Pho, a Vietnamese restaurant located in Oakland, is another one of these restaurants that has joined the movement. At Monster Pho, children with a SNAP card can get a free bowl of beef, chicken, or veggie pho, no questions asked. 

“A lot of families who depend on SNAP are stuck in between. Do I put food on the table, or do I live on the streets? The reason why it hits home so much is because when my family came to America in 1989, we were one of the boat refugee families from Vietnam. My mom worked five jobs. We didn’t have anything to our name,” said Tee Tran, the owner of Monster Pho.

Tran was on the SNAP program himself, which at the time was and still is referred to as the Food Stamp Program.

“We were those families that waited in line at the pantries to get food. Due to me being on food stamps, I got the opportunity to do what I’m doing now, and I get to open a restaurant and live the American dream because of the government help that I received when I was younger,” Tran said. 

While Tran was providing free meals for children and signing them up for a Christmas Toy Drive hosted by the Friends of Lincoln Square Park, as a small restaurant owner, he could at most offer parents a 25% discount. However, he has found himself deviating from this restriction.

“Even though I put down that it’s only kids 12 and under, I’ve had families come in where I have fed the kids and the mom. Because the family comes in, and I ask parents about the discount, but most of the time, they just look at me. You can see the sadness in their eyes that they want to eat, but maybe they need to save money. So the answer that they usually give me is, ‘You know what? It’s okay. I won’t eat right now. I’m not that hungry. Maybe I’ll come back next time,’” Tran said. 

When Tran hears these words, and he sees the fatigue, stress, and hunger on the parent’s face, he can’t help but become emotional.

“When I see that and I hear that, I can see and hear my mom through their voice. So I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to feed them without them even asking.’ I go back to the kitchen and make the food for the kids, and then I make another bowl of pho for the parent,” Tran said.

So far, over 60 families have come to Monster Pho to receive a free meal.

“The minute I put that bowl down, they break down in tears. They are so thankful for a bowl of food that we often take for granted. Most of us have food on the table, we have a roof over our heads, and we would never think that a small bowl of pho would make such a big difference to a family, but it does. You never understand how important food is unless you’ve been through it yourself,” Tran said.

One of the most important things to Tran is that all exchanges with SNAP recipients occur discreetly, so that parents and children do not feel embarrassed or unsafe in his restaurant. Tran and his staff do whatever it takes to make the family feel as welcomed as possible from the moment they step through the door. 

“We put them at a table, we treat them like a customer. We say hello to all their kids and ask what their names are and how they’re doing. I don’t want to make a big scene out of it, because I know that it hurts the mom to go out there and have to beg for food for her child. No parent in the world would ever want to do something like that, and the last thing we want to do is dehumanize them and make them feel that way,” Tran said. 

Not all restaurants are able to provide free or discounted meals during this time. According to Lindsey, the restaurant business in the Bay Area is extremely competitive. As national unemployment is on the rise, currently sitting at 4.3% in August — the highest since Oct. 2021, according to USAFacts — a lot of people simply cannot afford the luxury of eating out anymore. Tran himself has lost 30% of business in the last six months.

“You have to understand that these restaurants have their own circumstances. While it is amazing that many of them are able to give out food, many restaurants don’t actually have the means to do that. I think it is more of a responsibility for members of the community themselves to help out their fellow neighbors, such as donating to food drives or local shelters,” said Jasper Patel, who is one of the students in the Carlmont High School Associated Student Body Community Service commission, which runs an annual Food Drive in the winter.

Reem’s California, an Arab restaurant based in San Francisco that is offering free meals for children, wrote in an Instagram post, “Let us be clear, civil society shouldn’t have to step in to do this work. It is not a radical idea for governments to ensure their residents’ basic needs are met.”

According to the San Francisco government website, San Francisco is partnering with the Crankstart Foundation to distribute a one-time $18 million aid to SNAP recipients within the city. Restaurants like Reem’s are filling the gap while the benefits go into effect. 

Some restaurants, such as Al Pastor Papi, a Mexican restaurant located in San Francisco, are accepting donations to fund free meals, while other restaurants have declined donations. Each restaurant has its own reasons.

“We’ve donated almost 30,000 meals during the pandemic. We take care of seniors and health care workers. My mom has always taught me to do what you can and expect nothing in return. We’ve had not hundreds, but thousands of people who want to donate to us. I appreciate them for it, but it doesn’t feel right for me. So I’ve told customers that if you want to support us, all you need to do is come in and eat,” Tran said.

The same goes for Lindsey, who enjoys the media attention that his restaurant has received, but does not want it to overshadow the real purpose of his work.

“I have to think about if I’m just doing this to gain views and likes, all those things. This isn’t me just doing this to gain attention. This is me trying to help the community and help the restaurant so that we can live another day, fight another day, and do something great for the people,” Lindsey said.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, almost 700,000 Bay Area residents depend on SNAP benefits, and 118,000 of those people are from San Francisco. Wage inequalities are one of the most prominent issues across the Bay Area’s sprawling tech and start-up sectors, according to the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, with the top 10% of earners making over half a million dollars, while the bottom 10% make just an average of $15,000.

“I want others to follow suit, to see that it doesn’t take a lot to create change. You can donate a little bit of your food, time, and effort, and it will make the community better. You can do it at a restaurant. You can do it at other places. All of us have it inside of us. If everyone does a little, it really does come a long way,” Tran said.

Within this moment of crisis, restaurants across the Bay Area have been reminded that food is more than just sustenance; it is a fundamental human right that binds communities together through compassion and shared experience. Participating restaurants and eateries that are offering free or discounted meals to SNAP recipients include Tony & Alba’s, Monster Pho, Rusty Ladle, Al Pastor Papi, Mazra, Tacos El Patrón, Wahpepah’s Kitchen, Puerto Rican Street Cuisine, Malibu’s Burgers, OG Tacos, Humbowl, Timeless Coffee, Shrimp’n Ain’t Eazy, Gigi’s Cafe, Acapulco Kitchen, Fire Swamp Provisions, KM Mushrooms, Oren’s Hummus, and more.

“I have personally thanked every single family that has walked through the door. I know how hard it is for them to walk in here and be able to bring the family here to eat, and I really want to let them know that we’re grateful for them. I’m hoping that it will spread like wildfire. Before, I’m doing a little, and it doesn’t help. But now, I’ve seen a lot of people stepping up more and more, and I’m still doing a little, but now it does help,” Tran said.