Millions of Texans are facing a gap in food assistance during the current government shutdown. Austin-area food pantries, restaurants, and other organizations are stepping up, and they’ll need help from locals to keep it going.<\/p>\n
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 10 percent<\/a> of Texas households receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. In Travis County, nearly six percent of households received SNAP benefits in the past 12 months. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, those benefits will pause starting November 1 due to the shutdown.<\/p>\n On Friday, October 31, two federal judges ordered<\/a> the Trump Administration to use its emergency reserves to fund the SNAP program during the shutdown. However, the Associated Press says there is no guarantee that the administration will follow through with the ruling. At minimum, benefits will be delayed, and any hiccups with resuming SNAP assistance for Americans nationwide will still impact more than 3.4 million Texans (of whom 1.7 million are children).<\/p>\n The following list presents information about where people in Travis County \u2014 whether they use SNAP benefits or not \u2014 can find food help, where community members can donate, and how to find more information. It will be updated as we hear more. Donors and recipients should check each source they plan to connect with for the latest updates.<\/p>\n Find resources:<\/p>\n If you do not find what you need on this list, consider visiting findhelp.org<\/a>. It can be overwhelming because it contains listings for many types of aid (food, housing, transit, health, and more), and many listings within each category. However, it can be browsed by ZIP Code and offers dozens of filters, including age group, disability, and urgency.<\/p>\n Food pantry locations: <\/p>\n Central Texas Food Bank<\/a> \u2014 This food bank is the de facto main resource for locals. Visitors can find food pantries via CTFB and hot meals. The website is a good resource for many ways to get food help, even if they\u2019re not run by CTFB.Travis County Food Pantry<\/a> \u2014 Travis County\u2019s official food pantry operates six locations, which visitors need to apply to access.ATX Free Fridge Project<\/a> \u2014 This is a \u201ccompletely community based\u201d mutual aid project. Visitors do not need to sign up to access the fridges, and they are open all the time.Meals on Wheels<\/a> \u2014 This organization provides help for seniors. People who wish to use the service need to apply.Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center<\/a> \u2014 This is one of the best-known organizations for feeding unhoused people in Austin. Volunteers serve free food every weekday at the Sunrise Hub day center in South Austin.Riverbat Bites<\/a> \u2014 Austin Community College runs food pantries at all of its campuses. All currently enrolled students can stop by during the hours listed at the link.El Buen Samaritano<\/a> \u2014 This partner of the Central Texas Food Bank accepts visitors without a reservation in a drive-up or walk-up line.Harvest Blessings<\/a> \u2014 This partner of the Central Texas Food Bank requires visitors to register ahead of time for a pick-up time slot, but it does not require an application.Food For All<\/a> \u2014 This Pflugerville operation asks visitors to check in, but they can come once a day and do not need to apply ahead of time.Hope Food Pantry Austin<\/a> \u2014 Rather than a network, this is a single food pantry inside of Trinity Church in Central Austin.<\/p>\n Restaurant initiatives:<\/p>\n Get free food:Aci<\/a> \u2014 Free cup of granita (Italian ice treat) November 1 for anyone affected.Korea House Restaurant<\/a> \u2014 Offering free meals on the first Wednesday of every month from noon to 4 pm and from 5-8 pm.Gopuff<\/a> \u2014 Offering $50 in total credits and free shipping for SNAP recipients. People can connect their SNAP\/EBT to their Gopuff account, add SNAP-eligible groceries to their cart, and use the following promo codes: \u201cSNAPRELIEF1\u201d (valid November 1-15) or \u201cSNAPRELIEF2\u201d (valid November 16-30).Raise funds by shopping or drop off food:Meanwhile Brewing<\/a> \u2014 Donating $1 for every draft Darlin\u2019 Lager sold in the taproom to CTFB. There will also be a food drive running through the rest of 2025; there is a list of requested food items on Instagram and Facebook<\/a>. Anyone who donates will get 15 percent off their tab as a thank you.Parker + Scott<\/a> \u2014 Donating all greeting card sale proceeds to CTFB from October 31 through November 2.<\/p>\n Where to donate:<\/p>\n Individuals who want to donate money can send it to the Central Texas Food Bank<\/a>. In a blog post, the organization explains that it works \u201cwith major retailers, manufacturers and farmers to get the most bang for your buck. You might be able to buy a few non-perishable goods with $10 at your local retail store, but thanks to our retail relationships and bulk purchasing power, we can turn a $10 donation into 40 meals.\u201dLocal restaurants that want to minimize food waste can work with Keep Austin Fed, which \u201crescues\u201d surplus food from partner contributors<\/a> on a weekly basis. It then delivers the food to partner recipients. The whole network can be viewed here<\/a>. (This is also a great place to find your next purchased meal if supporting participating restaurants is important to you.)The Pflugerville Library<\/a> always accepts shelf-stable items during operating hours. The library also runs a care kit program that seeks items such as toothpaste, toilet paper, and soap for their hygiene kits. <\/p>\n What to donate:<\/p>\n Food pantries all have different policies, and some serve a population with specific needs. For example, some distribution sites help unhoused people who may not have access to things like can openers and microwave ovens.<\/p>\n Many food pantries and other organizations list desired supplies on their websites or social media. If readers know where they want to contribute, they should check there to find out what is most needed.<\/p>\n Using the Central Texas Food Bank as a base resource, here is a list of the types of food donations needed<\/a>.<\/p>\n peanut buttercanned chicken breast or tunacanned low-sodium vegetablescanned fruit in its own juice (no sugar added)dry pinto beansbrown ricedry pastanon-fat dry milk powder100 percent whole grain cerealtomato saucecanned tomatoescanned entrees<\/p>\n Finally, this one isn\u2019t an official resource, but it’s going viral on Facebook. A pastor in Washington, Christie Love, wrote a 28-point list<\/a> of less common advice from \u201cmany years\u201d of experience running a food pantry. That includes: dessert mixes that need limited ingredients are a great treat, meal replacement shakes are a good way to get a lot of calories efficiently, and avoiding glass containers reduces the risk of foods being spilled.<\/p>\n Whatever donors decide, hopefully they don\u2019t let overthinking take up space in their grocery bags.<\/p>\n \u2013<\/p>\n If you are a business owner or representative organizing a food drive and would like to submit it to this list, please send us a message here<\/a>. Please include address, time frame, and a list (or link to a list) of requested items. The initiative must be published on a public platform (e.g. website, Facebook, or Instagram) to be considered.<\/p>\n