Recently millions of Americans were faced with the possibility of losing their federal food assistance funding due to the government shutdown.
Though SNAP has been restored and the shutdown has ended, some local restaurants took action to feed residents who relied on this aid and they've decided to continue this work throughout the month of November.
Ryan Ralston, executive chef of Gombo Nolo Kitchen and Oyster Bar, in downtown Northampton, was frying chicken for the free meal they’re offering for EBT card holders at the restaurant.
“I have the fried chicken po'boy coming up in just a moment. That's coming with a side of gumbo,” Ralston said.
On a recent November afternoon a woman came in to Gombo looking a little nervous with her dog sitting attentively near her. She flashed her EBT card to Cassidy Bowman, the owner of Gombo, who then brought over a menu to her. Bowman delivered food to her wrapped up in a plastic bag a few moments later.
“It was amazing. I handed it to her, and she was so thankful. And I was like, ‘yeah, come back tomorrow.’ And she was like, ‘wait, it's not just a one time thing.’ I'm like, ‘no, just come in every day,’” Bowman said.
Manager Nyah Forth said they’re offering free meals to kids and free lunch for anyone who brings in an EBT card.
"Right now, we have two options. We have either a salad with one of our soups or a po'boy paired with a soup or salad,” Forth said.
Forth said she made an Instagram post about these free meals in the beginning of November and it got over 14,000 views and over 200 shares within a matter of days. Bowman said people are stressed and they had to do something to address the dire need.
“Although we're not adverse to making money, that's not why we're doing this. We're doing this to help people and build community, so it's a no brainer,” Bowman said. “We don't lead off with our bottom line all the time.”
“I agree we just like helping people, creating community,” Forth said. “As a kid, I relied on SNAP benefits. The last week of the month we wouldn't eat if we ran out of it. So, I just know how important it is to so many people in our community. I think it's just a good thing to do, honestly.”
Down the street from Gombo is Lichter and Levin Delicatessen on the cross section of Market and Bridge Street in Northampton. Owners Emily Lichter and Alex Hanley said they’re very active in the community and knew they had to respond to the chaos surrounding SNAP benefits for residents who rely on that income.
Hanley posted an Instagram video in the beginning of November saying anyone can get one free sandwich if they show their EBT card at the register. Hanley said they already had people redeem some sandwiches.
“As we move through having this program available through the end of the month, there's other things that's on our mind trying to figure out how do we keep something similar going beyond the end of the month,” Hanley said. “Are there other avenues we can explore? [If we have] any excess we have at the end of the day, how can we get that into the hands of people who need them?”
The deli just opened in July, so the small business itself is still trying to get established.
But Lichter said giving back to the community is the intention they need to follow, despite their bottom line.
“Hunger doesn't have a timeline. And although we're on a timeline, figuring out our business like we're on an uphill climb with a new business anyway. It's like giving out some food to people is not relative to our bottom line in the same way as the importance of opening our doors to everybody and making sure that people aren't hungry and that they have a safe place to come and have no shame about needing help,” Lichter said.
Other restaurants in the city like the Dirty Truth are donating a percentage of their proceeds to various shelters like Northampton’s Survival Center.
Dirty Truth owner Kyle Anderson said it’s all about the “bigger picture.”
“We are in the business of hospitality and that extends beyond these four walls. We're about nourishing people, creating community,” Anderson said.
There’s a hope among all the business owners that others will help where they can.
