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Local businesses step up to feed neighbors as SNAP benefits remain in limbo
From Seattle to Tacoma, restaurants and coffee shops are joining a "put it on my neighbor’s tab" movement to help those struggling with reduced SNAP benefits.
SEATTLE - Across the Puget Sound, local businesses are stepping up to make sure no one goes hungry — from bagel shops to burger joints, the message is simple: you can "put it on your neighbor’s tab."
At Radnor’s in Tacoma, the burgers are sizzling, and so is their community spirit. For every $5 donation, you can help feed one person. A $20 donation covers a family of four.
"This idea came from a bagel place up in Seattle called Toasted. They started the whole thing," Irving Amezcua, General Manager of Radnor’s, said.
The backstory:
The idea began with a social media post from Toasted Bagels and Coffee, which was inspired by another coffee shop in Portland. The mission quickly spread south to Tacoma, where Radnor’s joined in to help neighbors struggling with the lapse in federal SNAP food benefits.
"More than anything, this is to help. Don't be embarrassed to take the help," Amezcua said. "Everybody, at some point, needs a little bit of help. So it's okay."
Since launching the effort on November 1, Radnor’s has seen steady community support. The donations — now totaling around $5,500 — are helping provide hundreds of meals.
"$5,500 goes a very long way, especially with how cheap our food is," Amezcua said.
At Toasted Bagels and Coffee in Seattle, co-owner Jaafar AlTameemi said community giving has become part of their daily grind.
"Show up to Toasted, order whatever they want and tell the barista, ‘Can you please put this on my neighbor’s tab?’" AlTameemi said.
"We’re absolutely in a place of privilege to be able to serve the community; it’s a cornerstone of what Toasted is, and we’re going to continue to do that in the Seattle area. No one is going to go hungry on our watch," AlTameemi said.
Down in White Center, Lil Woody’s Burgers and Shakes is also joining the movement. Owner Marcus Lalario said the effort is a basic necessity.
"People need to eat. It's not about paying it forward. It's just realizing, you know, where people are at — how tough it is, how expensive Seattle is, to live, to be a parent, just to be single, to be whatever," Lalario said. "People are reliant on these things, and without them, it makes it very difficult. So if we can offer a free burger to a family, why not? It’s the right thing to do."
Why you should care:
For Levi, a 35-year-old SNAP recipient, gestures like these make all the difference.
"I can't thank them enough. Give them mad props, you know. Much respect to them. It's awesome that they're doing this," Levi said.
And for Lalario and other small business owners, helping comes first — no matter the cost.
"If we go broke doing it, we go broke doing it. People got to eat. So it's just about inspiring people," Lalario said.
These local restaurants are proving that when federal food benefits run dry, neighbors are ready to step in.
Businesses providing free meals:
Local perspective:
Chinatown-International District
- ChuMInh Tofu & Vegan Deli Sundays from 10:30 am to noon
Wallingford
- Friday Afternoon Tea: Community Pantry — leave what you can, take what you need
Belltown
- Lenox: Free SNAP to-go dinner: order via email, phone text from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Columbia City
- Taco City: kids eat free during the month of November
Several Locations
- Toasted: "Put it on my neighbor's tab," free drink/sandwich
Food drives
- B Town Yarn (Burien)
- Celine Waldman (Capitol Hill)
- Sweet Alchemy (U-District)
- Spoonfed Training (Renton)
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Alejandra Guzman.