When the federal shutdown paused SNAP payments this November, Sandra M., 53, rushed downtown to San Francisco’s Al Pastor Papi to get free burritos for her family. Keeping her place in line was a struggle. The Mexican restaurant regularly sees a busy lunch rush, but its staff wasn’t prepared for the surge of people who showed up to the restaurant after hearing it would support those who had suddenly lost their SNAP payments .
It was hard not to feel the urgency in the crowd. People pushed through each other, trying to find a faster way to order — at one point, three separate lines formed for the same cashier. Demand was so high that management capped the number of free burritos at 100 per day.
When she finally made it to the counter, Sandra showed her EBT card, driver’s license and asked for four burritos: one for herself, and one for each of her three sons. The cashier shook her head. The restaurant was only giving free burritos to people who showed up in person. Sandra decided it would go to her youngest son, who is 15 and “eats like two people.” Everyone else would have to miss the meal.
“I’m really worried. I don’t know how I’m going to feed them,” Sandra told El Tecolote. Living off her intermittent house-cleaning gigs, the family heavily relies on Sandra’s SNAP benefits to eat. But that week, her family had to turn to community handouts…