COPPERAS COVE, Texas (KXXV) — With the federal government shutdown leaving SNAP families in limbo, two local restaurants in Copperas Cove are stepping in to serve those who need it most.
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Kalista Vissage, a waitress at Cream Pies and Fries, said the effort started with a simple question from the owners about how they could make a difference.
“Our owners just sat down and they looked at what our community would need as a whole and what we could do in order to make an impact and to help the families that are being negatively affected,” Vissage said.
At Texas Meltdown Grilled Cheese, staff are making sure children from SNAP families still get a meal. Next door at Cream Pies and Fries, where Vissage works, the focus has been on helping elderly neighbors also missing out on benefits.
“That's something that's so important, that a bunch of families are missing out on right now. So, we just wanted to make sure that we were able to provide,” Vissage said.
Vissage said this kind of outreach is unlike anything these restaurants have done before.
“There’s so many families that come in here, families with six or seven children that I'm sure are being affected by it,” she said. “We do see all kinds of different families come in, and I know that my own family is struggling right now, so I understand the importance of needing everybody to be fed and to feel like they're welcome somewhere.”
As the U.S. Senate edges closer to a deal to reopen the government, many are watching and waiting to see when SNAP benefits will return.
“I hope that we can just kind of come together, not only as a country, but as a community, and we can just lean on each other and help raise each other up, make sure everybody's being taken care of,” Vissage said.
