Butler businesses try to fill void left by missing SNAP benefits
At a time when thousands of households in Butler County are at risk of hunger due to gridlock in both Pennsylvania’s state government and the federal government, private business has stepped up to help feed those in need.
“Children should not have to worry about being hungry during a time when adults cannot work together,” reads a post to the Facebook page for The Hoagie Shop, located on New Castle Road in Butler Township. “These are trying times for many families in our community, and the imminent delay in food benefits will only exacerbate that.”
The Hoagie Shop is one of the local businesses looking to fill the void left by the government shutdown, which will hold up SNAP benefits for thousands of families until the government reopens or a funding deal is reached. Starting Nov. 1, the independently-owned sandwich shop is offering a free small hoagie to children in families affected by the shutdown.
Because of the government shutdown, Pennsylvanians participating in the Supplemental Nutritional Access Program will not be able to receive benefits from the program which would have been due at the start of November.
According to the most recent data from Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services, 15,457 residents of Butler County — 8% of the population — take advantage of SNAP benefits as of September.
“There’s a lot of families that are struggling right now,” said Hoagie Shop owner Travis Frenchak. “With the delay in benefits that is approaching, it’s only going to make things harder. So we just wanted to do whatever we could. Obviously, children shouldn’t have to worry about where their meal is going to come from. Regardless of their family situation, a child shouldn’t have to suffer for any reason whatsoever.”
The free hoagie can be obtained at both Hoagie Shop locations, at Point Plaza and Bon Aire Plaza in Butler Township. According to Frenchak, once the giveaway begins, the total number of hoagies given away will be capped around 1,000 — assuming the shutdown doesn’t end by the time that number is reached.
“We’re a small business. We can’t afford to do it indefinitely,” Frenchak said. “It'll continue until we hit 1,000, or obviously, if the shutdown ceases and benefits start to go back out.”
In addition to the hoagie giveaway, The Hoagie Shop is also holding its annual free Thanksgiving hoagie hand-out event Nov. 17 on North McKean Street, near the Butler Area Public Library.
The Hoagie Shop isn’t alone in its generosity. Totalus Cafe, located in downtown Butler, has set up a food pantry in the back of their restaurant, which it calls the “community resources” area.
According to Totalus owner Kayla Fleming, the pantry was part of the cafe since it initially opened in 2022, but served a different purpose at first.
“We always had it for free Narcan drug test kits, morning after pills, and birth control,” Fleming said. “We just started accepting donations for food. I always opened up the shop with the idea of having resources available to the community, and this just expedited it.”
For Fleming, the current situation hits especially hard, as she herself came from a low-income background and relied on community resources to keep herself fed during childhood.
“Growing up I was in a low-income family in Butler,” Fleming said. “My parents both struggled with addiction and my dad was disabled, so we relied on church and community dinners. There’s this one lady from Katie’s Kitchen that stops in every now and then because she remembers me.
“These are the resources that helped me survive when I was younger. (The situation is) disheartening, but seeing the community come together restores some hope.”
Fleming says that, while all types of food items are in demand and desired, the items in highest demand are tuna, macaroni and cheese, and chicken noodle soup — all items which can be prepared relatively quickly.
“My go-to comfort food still is mac and cheese with tuna in it, like a tuna noodle casserole. For families it’s sort of like a comfort meal,” Fleming said. “And when you get a cold, a lot of people lean more towards chicken noodle soup and broth and that kind of stuff.”
Although politicians at both the state and federal level may not see eye to eye, Fleming sees a silver lining in the generosity of the community.
“It’s been an overwhelmingly positive response,” Fleming said. “My messages on Facebook are constantly going off asking what needs to be donated. I think I’ve had non-stop donations coming in, which is awesome.”
