In an uplifting show of paying it forward, some localrestaurants have allied for a common cause: providing meal assistance for children in need.<\/p>\n
Food assistance initiatives have sprung up at Tampa Bay restaurants this week. Free sack lunches and dine-in and to-go meals are being offered for children as the federal government shutdown drags into November.<\/p>\n
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also often referred toas food stamps), which provides access to a monthly benefit for almost three million low-income Floridians<\/a> to pay for food, will be out of money come Nov. 1. Just over a million of those<\/a> beneficiaries are children.<\/p>\n \u201cKids having food should be a natural given right, that shouldn\u2019t be something that gets taken away, ever,\u201dsaidZach Feinstein of The Feinstein Group. Feinstein, along with his wife and business partner Christina Feinstein, are providing free brown bag lunches at both locations of theirPinellasrestaurant The Living Room.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Chicken Salad Chick\u2019s Bradenton<\/a> location posted on its Facebook page: \u201cTo help support families impacted by the pause in SNAP benefits, the Bradenton location is offering a free kids meal for children 12 and under, no purchase necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n Less than 24 hours later, Skipper\u2019s Smokehouse<\/a> in Tampafollowed suit.<\/p>\n \u201cStarting on November 1st, we will have a couple of things going to assist with the situation at hand,\u201dthey wroteon their Facebook page. \u201cKids Eat Free – all day, every single day Thursday through Sunday until SNAP benefits are restored.\u201d<\/p>\n By Friday, a slew of other restaurants said they would provide for those who show up at their establishments in need. No strings attached. No purchases necessary. No questions asked.<\/p>\n Some, like the Feinsteins, have offered to continue their makeshift food pantry until SNAP benefits are reinstated in Florida.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are blessed in our industry to be able to directly impact and give back to our community when they need us the most,\u201d Christina Feinstein said. \u201cThe community can help by sharing the post from any of the restaurants that are offering this.\u201d<\/p>\n Below is a list of restaurants offering food, and details from their social media posts. Everything is subject to change.<\/p>\n Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters: \u201cBeginning Nov. 1, any child at any Blind Tiger location will receive a free meal. No purchase necessary. It\u2019s a simple meal: a sandwich, some fruit and a drink, but we hope it helps lighten the load for families that need it most. If you\u2019re a business or organization that wants to help us keep this going, please reach out to @LuisfromTampa<\/a> or @BlindTigerCoffeeRoasters<\/a> on Instagram.”<\/p>\n 813-540-2233; blindtigercoffeeroasters.com<\/p>\n Chicken Salad Chick (Bradenton): \u201cTo help support families impacted by the pause in SNAP benefits, the Bradenton location is offering a free kids meal for children 12 and under, no purchase necessary. (1 Kids Meal per child. Dine-in only. No purchase necessary. Only valid at the Bradenton location.) Children Eat Free at the Fort Myers, Estero and Port Charlotte Chicken Salad Chick locations until SNAP benefits are restored. Any child visiting our Fort Myers, Estero and Port Charlotte restaurants will receive a free Kid\u2019s Meal until SNAP benefits are restored in Florida. Please limit to 1 Kid\u2019s Meal per child\u2026the child must be present and eat in the dining room. No purchase necessary.”<\/p>\n Bradenton 941-739-6020; chickensaladchick.com<\/p>\n Crackers Bar and Grill (Crystal River): \u201cTo help provide back to our community we would like to do Crackers Kids meals special! Either 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. For years our community has provided for us and we want to help where we can.\u201d<\/p>\n 352-795-3999; crackersbarandgrill.com<\/p>\n Gigglewaters (Safety Harbor): \u201cUntil SNAP is back, Gigglewaters is providing free lunches for kids who need them. Starting November 1st, stop in and ask for a \u2018GiggleBag.\u2019 It\u2019s just a simple, bagged to-go lunch, nothing fancy, but it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 727-669-7077; gigglewaters.com<\/p>\n Jack Willie\u2019s Bar, Grill & Tiki (Oldsmar): \u201cAsk for a Jacks bag for any child with you and we will provide a free kids meal to go for as long as the shut down is going.\u201d<\/p>\n 813-749-7932; jackwilliesbarandgrill.com<\/p>\n The Living Room (Dunedin and Wesley Chapel): \u201cBoth 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 a sunflower butter & jelly sandwich, fresh fruit and a drink. Simply stop in with your children.\u201d<\/p>\n Dunedin, 727-736-5202; Wesley Chapel, 813-934-7911; thelivingroommain.com<\/p>\n Peach Cobbler Factory (Bradenton): \u201cThis weekend, we\u2019re offering: weekend highlight: kids eat free, November 1\u20132, 2025. We want every child who visits to enjoy a warm meal \u2014 no questions asked. What\u2019s included: one savory cobbler entr\u00e9e (Chicken, Italian, or Turkey), one kid-sized cookie, one beverage (water or hot chocolate). Eligibility: any child visiting our Bradenton location this weekend. Limit: one combo per child per day. Requirements: children must be present; dine-in only; no purchase necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n 941-213-9545; peachcobblerfactory.com<\/p>\n Pia\u2019s Trattoria (St. Petersburg): \u201cGovernment Shutdown To Go Special starting November 1, for all families who need it, we offer a free meal. Pasta Pomodori, Bread, Salad, $0. How it works: from Wednesday – Sunday, 5-6 pm pickup. Just come to our hostess stand at the Veranda between 5 and 6 pm and order the Shutdown-To Go-Special. No questions asked. We will bring it out to you for you to enjoy at home. Let us help feed your family until things turn back to normal.\u201d<\/p>\n 727-327-2190; piastrattoria.com<\/p>\n Skipper\u2019s Smokehouse (Tampa):\u201cStarting 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 813-971-0666; skipperssmokehouse.com<\/p>\n