The ongoing government shutdown has affected the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. At the end of October, the department announced that SNAP would be unable to distribute benefits in November.
In response to this news, many businesses in Northfield are taking action and organizing programs that can fill in for the lost funds that those using SNAP will face. One of these businesses is the HideAway Coffeehouse in downtown Northfield, which has started a program offering free meals for kids under 18 who will be affected by the freezing of these funds.
“The process is that anyone can come in, 18 and under is what we’ve been saying. We aren’t policing this,” owner Sarah Spaulding said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “They can get any item off the kids’ menu, and they can get it for take-out or to stay and do work.”
The Northfield community is feeling the strain on food in the area, including the local food shelf. The food shelf is run by the Community Action Center (CAC), which is a public resource for Northfield. Along with the free meals, HideAway has implemented a food bank outside the cafe.
“It’s currently outside our shop 24 hours a day,” Spaulding said. “It’s in front of the shop, and then after hours, we bring it in. But it is still outside, just covered. Right now, we’re supplying it, but we’ve had people bring in contributions to food and donate money, and any money we collect goes to the CAC.”
HideAway serves as a resource to those affected by the freezing of SNAP benefits and hopes to alleviate the stress of lost SNAP benefits.
“It just hits hard, and you think about who’s really affected by this, and then reflect on what you can do,” Spaulding said. “As a community, Northfield tends to do very well rallying for people.”
HideAway cannot keep up this policy forever, but there are additional businesses in Northfield and nationwide that are following a similar process.
“If you’re in between getting your next set of groceries and you don’t have another option, this is a great option for people,” Spaulding said. “I know for sure the Ole Store is doing something like a free meal.”
HideAway and the Ole Store are great local resources during this time of uncertainty. As of Nov. 7, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families will issue full SNAP payments, which may have shown up as soon as Nov. 8.
