SF Food Bank. Photo by Savannah Kuang
As Halloween weekend approaches, many are dealing with very real fears about what will happen on Saturday when national SNAP funding is set to lapse for the first time since its creation due to the ongoing government shutdown. Local restaurants have launched a social media movement to fill the gaps and offer free food to SNAP recipients, while food banks and nonprofits are organizing to meet the increased need and best support the communities they serve.
“Everyone we come across is anxious. We’ve had teachers call us, we’ve had families call us, we’ve had immigrant families who are homebound in fear of ICE, who would like groceries dropped off to them. People are crying on the phone, and everyone is fearful about how to eat after November 1,” said Candice Elder, the founder and executive director of the East Oakland Collective, a Black-led nonprofit with a large food and supply program.
In San Francisco, Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office announced on Tuesday that San Francisco residents who use SNAP will receive pre-paid cards to cover the funds they would normally receive for November. The money is being used from a reserve fund the city created in the summer to navigate uncertainty around state and federal budgets. The Crankstart Foundation, the family foundation of venture capitalist Michael Moritz, is matching the city’s contribution to bring the total to $18 million.
Next week, the city’s Human Services Agency will mail letters to recipients of CalFresh, California’s version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Letters will have instructions on how to access pre-paid gift cards that will cover their full benefits for November, Lurie said.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors approved $10 million to support the Alameda County Community Food Bank and other food organizations. Napa County also declared an emergency and approved $1 million for food aid.
“In my entire career, and now as mayor, it has never been acceptable to throw up our hands and expect parents, kids, and seniors to just, figure it out,” Lurie said in a press conference on the steps of SF City Hall, Wednesday.
Across the Civic Center, from where Lurie spoke to the press and supporters, the Heart of the City Farmers’ Market hummed with activity— although it was less busy than usual.
“We’re small, but we’re the largest farmers’ market in the country for SNAP recipients,” said Aubrey Schatz, the market’s assistant general manager. “It’s always slow here at the end of the month, but it will probably be very noticeable next week when we’re usually hit hard, so that’s when we’ll see the effect (of the SNAP stoppage).”
Community members are getting creative with ways to provide aid, and a number of restaurants are offering free food to help feed people, especially children. Tony & Alba’s Pizza and Pasta in San Jose posted a call to action on Instagram on Friday, offering a free pizza or pasta with carrots, fruit, and a drink to children accompanied by a parent with an EBT card and writing “we can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”
Other restaurants quickly followed suit, with Monster Pho in Oakland, Al Pastor Papi in San Francisco, Shrimp'n Ain't Eazy’s food trucks in San Jose, Cochi’s in Morgan Hill, Rusty Ladle in San Francisco, and Tacos El Patron in San Francisco posting similar offers on Instagram. Some cater to children with a discount for parents, while others will give free food to any SNAP user. The list of restaurants stepping up to help continues to grow.
Al Pastor Papi on IG
“The community made us, and we wouldn’t be in business if it weren’t for our community, so we always try to give back in any way we can. We don’t want to see kids go without food,” Al Pastor Papi owner Miguel Escobedo said.
Some people, like food photographer Dana Plucinski, are trading creative services for free meals to SNAP recipients and people dealing with food insecurity. Plucinski started the project during Covid and has been offering photoshoots to local eateries in exchange for 30 meals, which are donated to the East Oakland Collective.
“I’ve done a push to have people participate, and I don’t think I’ve ever had such a huge response before— currently I’m coordinating about 10 photoshoots,” Plucinski said. “I feel like whenever there’s any big thing happening, it’s hard to know where you can add value and really offer something that other people can’t, and sometimes throwing money at a problem doesn’t feel good or people don’t necessarily have a lot of money right now so it’s good to do what you can, where you can.”
SF Food Bank. Photo by Savannah Kuang
Local nonprofits are encouraging people who are worried about food security to reach out for help, to ask local agencies and churches for referrals and advice, and to look for the resource lists that are circling online and on social media. They’re also encouraging communities to host food drives and asking for monetary donations so they can buy food in bulk. Some, like Mama Jean’s Create Hub in West Oakland, are hosting Halloween events with food as well as candy in anticipation of children showing up who might be hungry or unsure of where their next meal is coming from.
“The community is working to help them,” Elder said when asked what advice she would give to worried people. "We provide referrals and our phone is ringing off the hook— it’s going to take all agencies, it’s going to take all groups, it’s going to take all families who are economically secure to donate. You might need to donate to your neighbor, you might want to donate to the unhoused person who might need water or snacks. Help is on the way and people are putting pressure on the government to not have SNAP benefits cut off for so long, if at all. But people are organizing.”
