Several Pottstown area restaurants are stepping in to fill a need in the community — by providing free meals for children and families during an anticipated pause in Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – or SNAP benefits.
Piccolo Mondo Italian Restaurant, 501 W. Schuylkill Road, North Coventry put out a social media post Tuesday pledging to support families in need by offering free meals for families with children ages 3-18 relying on the SNAP benefits. In solidarity, three other restaurants quickly echoed the pledge.
Funding for the SNAP program was to run out on Saturday. On Friday afternoon, a Federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to pay SNAP benefits. According to The New York Times, the ruling requires the administration to tap emergency reserves to pay benefits “as soon as possible.” But in the wake of the ruling it was not immediately clear if or when the money might reach recipients.
In addition to Piccolo Mondo, Giovanni’s 724 Restaurant, 1492 E. Schuylkill Road North Coventry; The Pourhouse Pottstown, 636 E. High St.; and The Ice House Pizza & Steaks, 1 King St., Pottstown said they are also planning to offer free meals for families that may experience a pause in their SNAP benefits.
Combined, the restaurants are offering options to cover families’ meals for every day of the week.
“We know the SNAP benefits cutoff will hit many local families hard — and we want you to know we’ve got your back,” Piccolo Mondo said in a Tuesday night post on its Facebook page.
Starting Monday, Nov. 3, Piccolo Mondo will offer a free kids spaghetti and meatball, penne pomodoro or grilled chicken with vegetables or Alfredo with chicken dinner for children ages 3-18, every Tuesday and Wednesday until SNAP benefits are reinstated, the restaurant said in its post.
Angela Mamo owns Piccolo Mondo with her husband, chef Claudio Mamo. Piccolo Mondo opened during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Angela Mamo, who noted that it was a rough time and that the community has always supported the restaurant.
“Just knowing what could happen with them cutting off the benefits for families with children, we decided let’s just give back and help all the families with children,” she said in an interview.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Mamo said customers just need to come in, show their SNAP card and an ID and order their food.
“We don’t want to see anyone have to struggle for food or even good food,” she said. “They can come every day, they can come as long as it’s shut down.”
Mamo said customers need to order in person, not over the phone or online.
Giovanni’s 724 Restaurant also posted on its Facebook page Tuesday night, shortly after Piccolo Mondo.
“As OJR (Owen J. Roberts High School) graduates, it’s important to us to give back to the place that helped shape who we are — and to carry on the spirit of generosity shown by our friends at Piccolo Mondo Italian Restaurant, whose kindness has inspired us to step up and do the same,” the post said.
Also starting Monday, Nov. 3, Giovanni’s will be offering free kids meals every Monday and Thursday. Meal choices include: kids spaghetti and meatballs; kids penne rosa; kids fettuccine Alfredo with chicken; and a large cheese or pepperoni pizza. Each meal comes with a salad and bread.
Like Piccolo Mondo, Giovanni’s is making the meals available for children ages 3 to 18, with up to four meals per family. The family needs to present its SNAP card and matching ID.
The Pourhouse Pottstown is providing one large pizza with one topping and a 2-liter soda on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after 3 p.m. The offer is available to any customer that shows a SNAP card and ID.
“We’re all in this together, Pottstown. Let’s lift each other up and make sure no one goes hungry,” the restaurant’s Facebook post Tuesday night read.
Ice House Steaks & Pizza in Pottstown is picking up the weekend — Friday, Saturday and Sunday — to ensure families in need have a meal option for each day of the week. Starting Friday, Nov. 7, The Ice House will offer a large cheese pizza to anyone with a valid SNAP/EBT card and matching ID.
“This is our way of giving back to the community that’s always supported us. We want to make sure every family has a warm meal on the table,” the restaurant’s Facebook post read. “Together, we’ll get through this.”
Mamo said she was surprised and overwhelmed when she heard the other restaurants were getting involved.
“I put the post up because I feel bad families have to go through this,” she said. “You don’t think to put it up and others follow with that kind of gesture. And then to be able to offer and give back to the community is amazing. This is our way to give back.”
Piccolo Mondo has been supporting the community with meals since opening during COVID. What started with Thanksgiving dinner for first responders has evolved into meals throughout the year for the broader community.
Angela Mamo, right is the owner of Piccolo Mondo Italian Restaurant in North Coventry Township. Mamo and co-owner Claudio Mamo announced plans to provide free kids meals for families experiencing a lapse in their SNAP benefits. Their announcement spurred several other restaurants to do the same: Giovanni’s 724 Restaurant in North Coventry, The Pourhouse Pottstown and The Ice House in Pottstown. With Mamo in this photo left to right are Piccolo Mondo employees Steve, Jill and Adam Edwards, manager. (Courtesy Piccolo Mondo Italian Restaurant)
SNAP food assistance funding was set to lapse on Saturday amid the continuing U.S. government shutdown. The pause would result in families not receiving their normal monthly payments from the program.
Democrats called on the Trump administration to release contingency funding to ensure uninterrupted SNAP payments, which was the subject of Friday’s court ruling.
SNAP, which costs about $8 billion per month, serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. Word in October that it would be a Nov. 1 casualty of the shutdown sent states, food banks and SNAP recipients scrambling to figure out how to secure food.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Dining and Cooking