Where kids can eat free in Albuquerque as SNAP funds dry up

Local restaurants are banding together to supply free meals to children as funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are expected to run dry in the coming days.

If Congress doesn’t reach a deal to end the U.S. government shutdown by Saturday, and state governments don’t intervene with their own funds, millions of people won’t receive their monthly food assistance nationwide.

In New Mexico, 21% of the population receives SNAP, which costs between $80 million to $90 million each month. The state government, which agreed in a special legislative session to foot the bill for some programs affected by the budget bill, has not announced whether it will step in to cover the hefty federal cost.

With no resolution in sight on Capitol Hill, more than 30 restaurants in and around Albuquerque have announced on social media that they’ll step up to supply free meals daily, collect food donations and offer cheaper menu items until SNAP funding is restored.

‘We understand the struggle’

Rosa Ramirez works in her mother’s restaurant, Tacos El Muchacho Alegre, in the South Valley and can remember a time when her own family needed help.

“This area, everyone, my neighbors, my friends, they all use food stamps — so it’s going to affect everyone,” Ramirez said. “Us, personally, we’ve used it as well. So we understand the struggle and we know it’s going to impact a lot of families.”

Beginning Saturday, the taqueria will serve corn dogs with a side of fries and tacos to children for free. The taqueria will also match canned food donations brought to the restaurant, Ramirez said.

The movement “spread like wildfire,” said Urban Hot Dogs owner Matthew Bernabe, who was one of the first Albuquerque restaurants to post on social media Monday.

“This isn’t about picking sides,” the post reads. “It’s about people. It’s about our kids, our neighbors and our community. No child should ever go hungry and if we can do a small part to help, we’re proud to do it.”

All parents need to do is bring their children and tell staff they’d like the “Kids Special,” Bernabe said. Since his announcement, restaurant owners and customers have been calling “nonstop” to ask how they can help.

The outpouring of support was welcome, but not surprising, Bernabe said.

“We have such a great culture here of helping one another out,” Bernabe said. “...(W)e do have our problems, but we don’t want anyone to mess with our own, and we’re going to take care of our own.”

Other businesses have also come forward to help, including farms and grocery stores. Big Jim’s Farm offered free “u-pick” of its remaining produce Tuesday and Sam’s Butcher’s Block will offer a discounted care package that will include 15 pounds of meat, beans and potatoes.

Collecting and synthesizing all this information behind the scenes is Bernina Gray, who used her background in technology to create a map of locations for free or discounted food after seeing dozens of posts online.

The online map will be continuously updated as more businesses come forward to help their neighbors, Gray said. Restaurants or other small businesses can put themselves on the map by filling out a submission form.

Gray hopes to add multiple layers so that families can easily filter through the map and find the closest locations that offers what they need. Some restaurants are only feeding children, while others will also feed the elderly, veterans or accompanying family members, she said.

In a time when the internet has been increasingly scrutinized for misleading and dividing people, Gray said that social media can be a “tool” or a “weapon.”

“It just depends on the person using it,” Gray said. “I think that, in this case, using social media to spread awareness — it’s just amazing what you can get done.”