A growing number of restaurants and food trucks around the Bay Area are announcing their plans to provide a range of free and discounted meals for recipients of SNAP, the federal food aid program slated to halt Nov. 1.
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The current federal government shutdown is now on day 28. While funding continued through October to support the food aid program, the federal government announced yesterday that it would stop issuing SNAP payments (short for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in the new month.
Roughly half a million Bay Area residents rely on the program, called CalFresh in California, for assistance in purchasing groceries, including 176,000 people in Alameda County and 133,000 people in Santa Clara County.
State and county agencies and officials are making moves to provide local food bank networks with additional funding and support ahead of the cutoff. And a few local restaurants are stepping up to directly feed people facing hunger from the halted food aid — especially kids.
“Kids are the ones affected by this, but they’re innocent. They don’t have anything to do with the politics,” said Diana Vallorz, who owns Tony & Alba’s Pizza and Pasta in San Jose with her husband, Al. The grandparents of four wanted to do something to support kids impacted by the imminent aid cutoff, so they came up with the idea of offering free meals to kids 15 and under whose families receive SNAP benefits.
Tony & Alba’s Pizza and Pasta in San Jose is one of a handful of Bay Area restaurants and food trucks offering free or discounted meals to SNAP recipients. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
The idea rapidly gained traction on social media, and a number of other Bay Area restaurants have since followed suit, offering discounts or free meals to SNAP recipients. Meanwhile, others have offered the restaurant donations to supplement Tony & Alba’s Pizza and Pasta kids’ meals — for instance, Vallorz said, First 5 is donating books, and a bakery plans to offer cupcakes to participating families.
Oakland restaurant Monster Pho will also be offering a kids’ meal program. “Kids should not be starving due to this ‘shut down,’” the restaurant posted on its Instagram, with the hashtag #phothekids. “We are just a small restaurant, but we believe one little thing at a time can go a long way.”
These are the restaurants that have announced meal programs so far. Most start Nov. 1.
Tony & Alba’s Pizza and Pasta, San Jose
Free meals for children 15 and under, no additional purchase needed. Kids can get cheese or pepperoni pizza, or penne pasta with meat or marinara sauce, with carrots, fruit and a drink. Visitors should plan to show their SNAP card and have the child with them, and parents can get discounted meals. More info here.
Details: Open 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 12:30-8:30 p.m. Sundays at 3137 Stevens Creek Blvd., San Jose; tonyandalbaspizza.com
Monster Pho, Oakland
Kids 12 and under who receive SNAP benefits can get free beef, chicken or vegetable pho, with 25% off for parents (no purchase necessary for kids). Kids will also be signed up for the restaurant’s upcoming Christmas toy drive. More info here.
Details: Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays at 360 40th St., Oakland; monsterpho.com
Understory, Oakland
This restaurant’s menu includes a pay-what-you-can dish, for which nobody will be turned away due to lack of funds. The current offering is suam na mais, a vegan, gluten-free summer corn soup with ginger, garlic, mushrooms and leafy greens in a savory broth. More info here.
Details: Open 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Tuesdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays at 3340 International Blvd., Oakland; understoryoakland.com
Shrimp’n Ain’t Eazy, San Jose
Starting in November, this Eastside San Jose food truck, will be offering kids 16 and under who receive SNAP benefits a free chicken garlic and rice burrito and a drink when they present a SNAP card and ID. Parents also receive a meal discount. Families can receive five burritos per week. More info here.
Details: Location varies; check instagram.com/shrimpn_aint_eazy for the latest updates.
Al Pastor Papi, San Francisco
SNAP card recipients are eligible to receive up to four free bean and rice or chicken burritos a week per family, starting in November at this Union Square-based restaurant, with water included. People should bring their SNAP cards and IDs. “Bring the fam, dinner is on us,” the team said in an Instagram post.
Details: Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays at 232 O’Farrell St., San Francisco.
Puerto Rican Street Cuisine, Oakland
This Oakland spot is offering $6 kid meals for SNAP recipients ages 12 or younger. The meal comes with a mini chicken, beef or jackfruit empanada, arroz con gandules (a Puerto Rican rice dish with pork and peas) or stewed beans, fried plantains and water.
Details: Open 12-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and 12-6 p.m. Sundays at 1430 23rd Ave., Oakland; puertoricanstreetcuisine.com.
OG Tacos, Concord and Antioch
Until food aid is restored, OG Tacos, an East Bay food truck specializing in birria, announced it also planed to serve meals people losing SNAP benefits starting in November. Eligible people should show their SNAP card and ID to receive tacos dorados; up to three meals per family. More info here.
Details: Open 4-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 4-9 p.m. Fridays at Epidemic Ales, 150 Mason Circle, suite J, Concord; and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays at the Antioch Farmers Market, the parking lot at Third Street & I Street, Antioch; ogtacosonline.com.
