Coffee Shops Step Up as Federal Government Ends Food Assistance Funding

As the U.S. government shamelessly cuts off its largest food assistance program for citizens most in need, some coffee purveyors are stepping up to help fill the gap. 

Specialty coffee shops and cafes from coast to coast have taken to social channels to announce free meal programs for SNAP recipients as the federal food benefit program is set to expire Nov. 1. 

No Relief in November

In a memo filled with ethically dubious political messaging this week, the USDA under the Trump administration announced “there will be no benefits” issued for the new month. 

“We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats,” a large red banner on the USDA homepage currently states. “They can continue to hold out for 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.”

The decision is expected to affect more than 42 million Americans in 22 million households who rely on SNAP benefits each month to put food on the table, according to USDA statistics.

Coffee Shops Stepping Up

Meanwhile in Portland, Oregon, the nonprofit coffee shop Heretic Coffee Co. said it plans to serve a “SNAP breakfast” every day until benefits return or until they “go broke doing it.” Within two days, the shop had received community support of more than $86,000, according to The Oregonian. 

In Clearfield, Utah, Something Wicked Coffee (formerly Bean’s Coffee) is offering free breakfast to anyone affected. “Being hungry is a real thing… I grew up on food stamps,” owner Karen Blackwood told KUTV. The shop is funneling tips into ingredients and accepting small donations to stretch the program.

In Maine, Hailey’s Kitchen Café & Bakery in Windham began handing out free meals and built a pay-it-forward wall for neighbors to chip in. “If I had to do 100 meals a day, that would be a deficit for my business… with the support of the community, I can do that,” owner Rebecca Coffin told WMTW.

In Ellsworth, Maine, Flexit Café said it will give free hot soup and coffee to SNAP/EBT customers through November or until benefits resume, according to WABI5. 

In Scranton, Pennsylvania, Northern Light Espresso Bar announced a weekly hot-breakfast day for SNAP recipients in November. The company also encouraged guests to “pay it forward” to give people in need a hot drink. 

DCN is monitoring this movement as it develops. These efforts, while inspiring, remain short-term responses to the ongoing food-security crisis in the U.S., where approximately one in seven households are food-insecure. 

In the meantime, a coalition of Democratic governors and attorneys general have sued the Trump administration over the decision to end SNAP benefits.

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