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Where kids can eat free in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 as SNAP funds dry up
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Local restaurants are banding together to supply free meals to children as funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are expected to run dry in the coming days.
If Congress doesn鈥檛 reach a deal to end the U.S. government shutdown by Saturday, and state governments don鈥檛 intervene with their own funds, millions of people won鈥檛 receive their monthly food assistance nationwide.
In New Mexico, 21% of the population receives SNAP, which costs between $80 million to $90 million each month. The state government, which agreed in a special legislative session to foot the bill for some programs affected by the budget bill, has not announced whether it will step in to cover the hefty federal cost.
With no resolution in sight on Capitol Hill, more than 30 restaurants in and around sa国际传媒官网网页入口 have announced on social media that they鈥檒l step up to supply free meals daily, collect food donations and offer cheaper menu items until SNAP funding is restored.
鈥榃e understand the struggle鈥�
Rosa Ramirez works in her mother鈥檚 restaurant, Tacos El Muchacho Alegre, in the South Valley and can remember a time when her own family needed help.
鈥淭his area, everyone, my neighbors, my friends, they all use food stamps 鈥� so it鈥檚 going to affect everyone,鈥� Ramirez said. 鈥淯s, personally, we鈥檝e used it as well. So we understand the struggle and we know it鈥檚 going to impact a lot of families.鈥�
Beginning Saturday, the taqueria will serve corn dogs with a side of fries and tacos to children for free. The taqueria will also match canned food donations brought to the restaurant, Ramirez said.
The movement 鈥渟pread like wildfire,鈥� said Urban Hot Dogs owner Matthew Bernabe, who was one of the first sa国际传媒官网网页入口 restaurants to post on social media Monday.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 about picking sides,鈥� the post reads. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about people. It鈥檚 about our kids, our neighbors and our community. No child should ever go hungry and if we can do a small part to help, we鈥檙e proud to do it.鈥�
All parents need to do is bring their children and tell staff they鈥檇 like the 鈥淜ids Special,鈥� Bernabe said. Since his announcement, restaurant owners and customers have been calling 鈥渘onstop鈥� to ask how they can help.
The outpouring of support was welcome, but not surprising, Bernabe said.
鈥淲e have such a great culture here of helping one another out,鈥� Bernabe said. 鈥�...(W)e do have our problems, but we don鈥檛 want anyone to mess with our own, and we鈥檙e going to take care of our own.鈥�
Other businesses have also come forward to help, including farms and grocery stores. Big Jim鈥檚 Farm offered free 鈥渦-pick鈥� of its remaining produce Tuesday and Sam鈥檚 Butcher鈥檚 Block will offer a discounted care package that will include 15 pounds of meat, beans and potatoes.
Collecting and synthesizing all this information behind the scenes is Bernina Gray, who used her background in technology to create a of locations for free or discounted food after seeing dozens of posts online.
The online map will be continuously updated as more businesses come forward to help their neighbors, Gray said. Restaurants or other small businesses can put themselves on the map by filling out a submission .
Gray hopes to add multiple layers so that families can easily filter through the map and find the closest locations that offers what they need. Some restaurants are only feeding children, while others will also feed the elderly, veterans or accompanying family members, she said.
In a time when the internet has been increasingly scrutinized for misleading and dividing people, Gray said that social media can be a 鈥渢ool鈥� or a 鈥渨eapon.鈥�
鈥淚t just depends on the person using it,鈥� Gray said. 鈥淚 think that, in this case, using social media to spread awareness 鈥� it鈥檚 just amazing what you can get done.鈥�
