SEATTLE — As a government shutdown drags into its 28th day, nearly 500,000 Washington families face losing their federal food assistance starting Nov. 1, according to the state Department of Social and Health Services.
But Seattle’s Toasted Bagel & Coffee is fighting back. Starting Saturday, the café with locations in South Lake Union, University District and Bellevue will launch a campaign to feed those hit hardest: their “Put It On My Neighbor’s Tab” initiative offers free breakfast — no questions asked. Just say the phrase and get a meal, with the café covering the first 100 breakfasts and donations funding the rest.
Murat Akyuz, 24, co-founder of Toasted, knows the struggle firsthand. “When we first immigrated to the U.S., we relied on SNAP benefits to get through. My dad worked 70-plus hours, but we still needed that extra $500, $700 to shop for groceries,” he said.
More than 930,000 people in Washington depend on SNAP, which can provide up to $994 monthly for a family of four. With benefits ending soon, the community is stepping up big: Toasted has raised over $24,000 already — enough for 4,000 breakfasts and counting, with donations pouring in from around the world.
Inspired by a similar Portland coffee shop campaign that raised $185,000 as of Wednesday afternoon, Akyuz says, “If we can keep even one person from going hungry for an extra day, that feels really good.”
트위터 공유: 시애틀 카페 굶주림 막는 따뜻한 아침 식탁