“With what’s going on, I felt like the community should pick up where the government left off,” Petit Beignets & Tapioca co-owner Nhan Ngo said.

KOHRVILLE, Texas — A northwest Harris County restaurant is getting ready to serve up some sandwiches this Saturday to people who rely on SNAP benefits.

SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federally funded program that helps low-income Americans put food on the table. But because of the ongoing government shutdown, more than 350,000 Houston-area families will not receive their SNAP benefits starting November 1.

That is why Nhan Ngo, co-owner of Petit Beignets & Tapioca, said he wanted to step up and help. He also said his family history is part of the reason why he wants to give back.

“My mom, she came here from Vietnam with the clothes on her back. That’s all she had, and she had me at the time, and so the benefits she received from the government — they helped her build a life here, and that’s the American Dream,” Ngo said. “With what’s going on, I felt like the community should pick up where the government left off.”

The goal, Ngo said, is to give out around 1,000 sandwiches total. People will need to prove they are SNAP recipients, and then everyone in their family will get a meal. Ngo said those meals will include fruit, snacks and juice, which are all being donated by community members. In just one day, a bench inside the restaurant became filled with donations.

Those donations continue to pour in. Halley Campbell lives near Petit Beignets & Tapioca and said she wanted to bring food as soon as she heard the restaurant was collecting donations.

“We all need help in some way or another, so when you can give help, that’s even better,” Campbell said.

Ngo said the community response and the outpouring of donations thus far have been heartwarming.

“It’s refreshing. I love it. It gives me hope,” Ngo said.

The food distribution this Saturday will start at around 11 a.m. just outside Petit Beignets & Tapioca, which is located at 22490 State Highway Ste. A, Houston, TX, 77070.

Ngo said he plans to continue food distributions for SNAP recipients every Saturday in November.

“I’m here. I’m ready. There’s a lot of people that are ready, that are willing to come and help out,” Ngo said.