Salt Lake City restaurants are stepping up as federal workers in Utah continue to go without pay during the government shutdown and many Utahns remain uncertain about federal food assistance.
Several businesses have offered free food and other menu items after the Utah Food Bank warned Oct. 22 that it alone wouldn’t be able to fill the gap that a potential pause to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP) would cause. State leaders later pledged $4 million to support the Utah Food Bank.
As of Friday, a federal judge ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to keep paying for food stamps. But some worry the benefits could remain in limbo. At least 33,000 federal workers live in Utah, and about 169,300 Utah adults and children rely on SNAP to help buy food each month.
See the list of restaurants at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.