Every night at 6 p.m., Community Garden Kitchen in North Texas opens its doors to anyone who needs a hot meal.
On Monday, staff in McKinney prepared for a larger crowd after November SNAP benefits failed to load due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
“Anyone can come in for a fresh meal if you’re hungry. No paperwork. No criteria to meet. No questions asked. If you’re hungry, we’re going to seat you and serve you just like at any other restaurant,” said Executive Director Tunya Green.
“If we didn’t have the food here, I think we would be in heartfelt trouble,” said Kelly Hilton.
Hilton is one of many watching her EBT card closely, hoping benefits will arrive later this month. The Trump administration recently told a federal judge it would use contingency funds to cover 50% of November benefits.
“With the food banks and everything, that’s going to help, but it’s going to be a struggle,” Hilton said.
In Mansfield, free meals for children were stacked outside El Primos restaurant. The restaurant is offering food every Monday from 4 to 6 p.m. as long as SNAP benefits remain reduced. It’s one of several local efforts supporting the more than 720,000 North Texans who depend on the program.
“We’re estimating somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 to 1,000 people each day,” said owner Todd Tonore.
Need food?
If you need nutritious, free food:
Call 2-1-1 for up-to-date information on SNAP and help locating food pantries or community resources.
Tarrant Area Food Bank: For residents in Bosque, Cooke, Denton, Erath, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant and Wise counties, visit the Tarrant Area Food Bank website.
North Texas Food Bank: For those in Collin, Dallas, Delta, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Hopkins, Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Navarro and Rockwall counties, visit the North Texas Food Bank website.
Feeding Texas: For all other areas in Texas, visit the Feeding Texas website to locate your nearest food bank or pantry.
SNAP benefits nationwide and in Texas