Hungry kid asks Portland café for food after SNAP ran out. Owner ensured no one has to 'ask' ever again
'We don't ask for any proof, just the code word 'SNAP Breakfast,' and they get one. Second is that half of our customers are children.'
Hunger is one of the most heartbreaking things in the world. With SNAP benefits frozen nationwide, there are several stories of kindness and empathy emerging from various parts of the country. Take Josh White, for instance. When an 11-year-old approached him asking for a SNAP breakfast because his family was unable to afford one, something sparked in Josh, whose next step on November 1 has online users lauding.
Josh White owns Heretic Coffee in Portland and had put up an announcement that people in Portland could avail SNAP breakfast if the government froze the benefits from November 1. However, an 11-year-old kid walked into the cafe asking if he could avail the breakfast in October itself since his parents couldn't afford a meal. "There was this bit of rage inside of me, and so we tweeted out saying, 'It's open now, if you are hungry do not go to bed hungry tonight,'" White told ABC News. The free breakfast included a breakfast burrito and a coffee for any customer who might be in need. When White began the initiative, he had many people advising him about potentially going into debt or having to shut down his business. "We responded and said, 'That's fine. If we literally have to shut our doors, if we go broke making sure children have food for breakfast, I'm really OK if that's the reason why we lose our business," White weighed in.
However, what White did not anticipate was the massive outpouring of support from people across the country who began donating to fund his cause. The Portland coffee owner was able to raise more than $300,000 for his initiative to help people avoid starvation. Reflecting on the support, White said, "At the very beginning, we never had a donation page. It was someone in the comments who said we should set up one. Now, after seven days, we are actually nearing $350,000." White shared that he has been receiving a huge influx of customers who have been arriving for the free breakfast. "There are two things I'm seeing right now. One is that the customers feel seen. We don't ask for any proof, just the code word 'SNAP Breakfast,' and they get one. Second is that half of our customers are children. The world needs to see that these are not just adults, but children looking for food."
In a 2019 study by PubMed, it was found that when families with children younger than four years had their SNAP benefits reduced or cut off, they had significantly increased odds of household and child food insecurity compared to families whose benefits remained constant. By helping children and others avoid hunger, Josh White sets an example for people across the country to step forward and contribute their bit toward helping those struggling with food insecurity and basic needs.
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