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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 15
NOVEMBER 25, 2025
THEPOSTATHENS.COM
Food for thought Athens restaurants filled SNAP benefits gap during government shutdown As the government shutdown paused SNAP benefits for millions, several Athens restaurants offered free meals to residents who rely on the program.
LAYNEE ESLICH | FOR THE POST
W
ith the end of the government shutdown that spanned from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has started resuming its services to families with lower incomes across the country, including Ohio. Before the shutdown, about 1.4 million Ohioans received roughly $264 million in food benefits from SNAP every month, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Ending the government shutdown, the House passed the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions act Nov. 12 with a 222-209 vote.
provide meals to citizens who relied on SNAP for nutrition, including Hot Box Chicken Fingers & Tots, Larry’s Dawg House and Taco John’s. According to Taco John’s facebook, the restaurant offered a community support special including a free beef or bean burrito and one Jr. Potato Oles, to customers from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. Hot Box also offered free meals to SNAP recipients. Dave Voge, a manager at Hot Box, said they donated between $18,000 and $20,000 in free meals within the span of two weeks. The first week, starting Nov. 1, customers with SNAP identification received any type or amount of food they could order. The second week,
customers were limited to one meal per person. “Kevin (McNamara), the owner, he’s the one who started it,” Voge said. “He was just trying to help people out while the government was shut down and doing nothing. He just wanted to make sure people in Athens had something to eat.” According to the Pew Research Center, the government spent almost $65 billion on SNAP benefits through the first eight months of fiscal 2025. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told Newsmax citizens will have to reapply for benefits to verify the amount spent will be for those in need of the program.
The family meal includes six short dogs with sauce on the side, 20 chicken nuggets, a quart of ice cream, a bag of chips and a cookie for each member of the family. King said they also recently bought Cuties Citrus and apples for free meals, as well. Ashley King has worked at the restaurant for 10 years, while her husband, Dillan King, the general manager, has been there for 20 years. Dillan King initially suggested offering the free meals to a few families each day, which began Nov. 7. So far, Larry’s Dawg House donated to about 40-50 families, as well as individuals..
“This legislation provides critical funding to support America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities and it ensures both USDA and FDA can safeguard our nation’s food and drug supply,” Andy Harris, the chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies subcommittee, said in a press release.
“We also were completely thrown off by the community and our customers that came in,” Ashley King said. “We have people donating to that cause, which is really, really cool, because looking at the food cost, that’s what we pay for food, and taking that into consideration, we’re able to turn somebody’s $10 that they donate, and I can still feed for (the cause).”
ODJFS announced Nov. 14, the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services, which administers SNAP, will ensure Ohio citizens will receive full SNAP benefits for November by this week. In the weeks leading up to the reopening of the program, businesses in Athens took it upon themselves to
Despite the reissuing of benefits, Ashley King, a manager at Larry’s Dawg House, said the restaurant plans to continue offering food for any citizen affected by the loss of SNAP benefits.
Ashley King said another staff member told her one customer said, “If I can buy a hot dog for myself, I can buy a hot dog for someone else.” The sign of Larry’s Dawg House on West Union St. in Athens, Apr. 5, 2024. (ETHAN HERX | FOR THE POST) ART BY ALAINA DACKERMANN | DIRECTOR OF DESIGN
@LAYNEEESLICH LE211424@OHIO.EDU