During the recent government shutdown, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits were in jeopardy and food insecurity rose dramatically across the country. 42 million Americans rely on SNAP for food assistance and for several weeks went without.

Restaurants around Boston stepped up to bridge this gap and help families in need. Taco Azul in Beacon Hill provided free meals daily. They also created an option in the online ordering platform for diners to buy a meal for a family in need.

“From day one, Taco Azul was built with community as a core pillar of the brand. It’s our duty and honor to give back to the community that does so much for us,” says owner Dan Leyva. “Hard working families have lost resources through no fault of their own, and while it can be financially difficult for us as well, we want to get through this together.”

The American Flatbread Brighton location offered free small takeout pizzas to SNAP card members during the shutdown. Suya Joint in Roxbury offered free jollof pasta meals to anyone with a SNAP card. Tackling another population impacted by the shutdown, The Friendly Toast offered free entrees for government workers.

Other organizations like Ebo Grocery and the Fenway Community Center began sourcing food donations to give away for free from their facilities to anyone in need.

When the government reopened on November 12, a bill was passed to fund SNAP through September 2026. Benefits will be restarting, but it’s unclear how long it will take for full benefits to reach all SNAP participants. Even then, in trying economic times with inflated prices and a limited job market, food insecurity remains a problem.

There are several restaurants that will continue their efforts to provide food for those in need even as the government reopens. Cafenation in Brighton and Ula Cafe in Jamaica Plain both run need-based food programs year round. Customers can choose to pay ahead for an extra meal, coffee, or snack, and anyone in need can claim one of those meals, no questions asked. Brothers & Sisters Co. in Brookline runs a year-round community fridge that all in need are welcome to draw from.

Taco Azul will continue to offer free meals to those in need and to source donations through the end of the year to ensure all are fed during the holidays.

“Our community will always be more important than any profit,” says Leyva. “This is not a political issue, this is a human issue.”

ON THE WEB

Donate a Taco Azul meal at order.tacoazul.com