Gigglewaters in Safety Harbor, Florida. Credit: c/o Rachel Wilson
Three million Floridians rely on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal program best known as SNAP. More than a million of those people are children.
As the government shutdown nears a month long, SNAP benefits are expected to end on Saturday, Nov. 1.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has responded to calls to safeguard the program for his constituents by passing the buck to Chuck Schumer, the U.S. Senate Democratic Leader from New York, according to the Florida Phoenix. So locals are stepping up.
Spearheaded by Safety Harbor Best of the Bay-winner Gigglewaters, Tampa Bay restaurants have decided to ignore the politics of it all and offer free food to children.
Here’s a developing list of every Tampa Bay restaurant stepping up to the plate. Click through the establishment’s name for the most updated information.
If you’re a restaurant offering help to kids during the government shutdown, please email Creative Loafing Tampa Bay to let us know.
Other local entities offering assistance to hungry people include Feeding Tampa Bay, St. Pete Free Clinic, and more.
Cracker’s Bar & Grill To help provide back to our community we would like to do Crackers Kids meals special! Either a grilled cheese or chicken fingers with applesauce to-go on us for those in need! We feel for our community and what these changes bring for our futures. 502 NW 6th St., Crystal River
Gigglewaters “Starting November 1st, stop in and ask for a “GiggleBag.” It’s just a simple, bagged to-go lunch, nothing fancy, but it’s a meal if your children are hungry. One for every child with you, every single day, no purchase necessary, until SNAP benefits are reinstated in Florida. We’ll keep helping however we can, for as long as we can.” 737 Main St. #104 Safety Harbor
Jack Willie’s Bar, Grill & Tiki Ask for a Jacks bag for any child with you and we will provide a free kids meal togo for as long as the shut down is going. 1013 Saint Petersburg Dr. W, Oldsmar
The Living Room (Wesley Chapel)Starting tomorrow morning, both The Living Room Dunedin and The Living Room at Wiregrass will have free bag lunches available for any children whose families are affected by the SNAP/EBT pause. Each lunch includes your choice of: 🥪 Ham & Cheese or Peanut Butter & Jelly 🍎 Fresh fruit and a drink. Simply stop in with your children — no purchase necessary, no questions asked. Because this situation is complicated, but feeding a hungry child isn’t. 2001 Piazza Ave., Suite 100, Wesley Chapel
Skipper’s Smokehouse “Starting on November 1st, we will have a couple of things going to assist with the situation at hand.🍴Kids Eat Free – all day, every single day Thursday through Sunday until SNAP benefits are restored. Dine in, only. If you are having trouble feeding the kiddos, bring them in, sit down and we will feed them for you from our kids menu. Sorry, no takeout options available. No purchase necessary. One meal per child. We strongly believe that no kid should ever go to bed hungry.” 910 Skipper Rd., Tampa
This is a developing post.
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This article appears in Oct. 30 – Nov. 5, 2025.
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