People and families across the Chicago area who rely on SNAP food assistance to buy groceries are not getting their benefits as expected this month. Funding for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was initially frozen amid the government shutdown. As of Monday, the White House plans to send people half their normal benefits, but it\u2019s unclear when they\u2019ll arrive.<\/p>\n
Some Chicago restaurants are stepping in to feed their neighbors. At Kale My Name in Albany Park, anyone can get a free meal daily from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Watta Potato, is opening up its South Side potato joint for SNAP recipients on Nov. 8.<\/p>\n
Below is a list of restaurants offering free and discounted food. Many will ask you to present a SNAP card. If you know of a restaurant offer, please email us at tips@suntimes.com and use the subject line \u201cSNAP Help.\u201d We will add it to the list.<\/p>\n
Canton Regio: The Pilsen restaurant at 1510 W. 18th St. is giving away free roasted chickens for SNAP recipients every Tuesday.
\nCheSa\u2019s Bistro and Bar: The restaurant at 3235 W. Addison St. is providing free meals from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Tuesday.
\nKale My Name: The plant-based restaurant at 3300 W. Montrose Ave. in Albany Park is offering free meals for those in need between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. every day.
\nLou Malnati\u2019s: Lawndale Community Church has partnered up with the pizza restaurant at 3859 W. Ogden Ave. to offer coupons for $10 pizza through Nov. 16.
\nManny\u2019s Delicatessen: The iconic deli at 1141 S. Jefferson St. is giving away food to the first 300 SNAP recipients every day in the first week of November. The meal includes a sandwich, a potato pancake, pickles and a soft drink.
\nOctober Cafe: SNAP recipients can receive a free meal every day between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. at 6046 N. Avondale Ave. in Norwood Park through November.
\nPaulie Gee\u2019s: Children whose families\u2019 SNAP benefits have been frozen can get a free kid-sized cheese pizza at 2651 N. Milwaukee Ave.
\nPenelope\u2019s Vegan Taqueria: Children and expectant mothers can enjoy a free meal from all three locations of the vegan Mexican restaurant until SNAP is restored.
\nSoulFood Lounge: The North Lawndale restaurant at 3804 W. 16th St. will offer a free lunch every Tuesday from noon to 3 p.m.
\nSpoken Cafe: Every Monday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., this Ravenswood cafe at 1812 W. Montrose Ave. will host a community supper in a pay-what-you-can format.
\nThe StopAlong: Get a free 16\u201d pizza through Nov. 16 by showing a SNAP card and a valid ID at 2210 N. California Ave. in Logan Square and 1812 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park.
\nWatta Potato: The South Side potato joint at 5202 W. Washington Blvd. will offer free food to SNAP recipients on Nov. 8.<\/p>\n
Tazza Italian Ristorante, Homer Glen: From Tuesday to Thursday each week, showing a SNAP card can get recipients free pasta, bread and salad at 14065 S. Bell Rd.
\nWooden Paddle, LaGrange and Lemont: SNAP recipients can enjoy a free lunch the entire month of November.<\/p>\n
The response from Chicago-area restaurants to support those affected by the SNAP benefits delay is a testament to the community’s resilience and compassion. These establishments are not only providing essential meals but also a sense of hope and support during a challenging time. As the situation with SNAP benefits continues to unfold, it’s heartening to see local businesses step up to help their neighbors in need.<\/p>\n
Chicago-Area Restaurants Offering Free and Discounted Meals to SNAP Recipients Introduction to the Issue People and families across the Chicago area who rely on SNAP food assistance to buy groceries are not getting their benefits as expected this month. Funding for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was initially frozen amid the government shutdown. As […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-31480","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/1d37a76\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3000x1713+0+142\/resize\/1461x834!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F5b%2F68%2Fa56edea2494a9f511f1a9b1d3cd7%2Fsnapdeadline-110425-14.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31480"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31480"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31483,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31480\/revisions\/31483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}