Hot Box Chicken Fingers & Tots will provide free meals to families reliant on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beginning Nov. 1, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture is set to officially suspend all federal food aid due to the ongoing government shutdown.
“If the government shutdown extends into November and results in no SNAP benefits being available, Hot Box will provide free meals to all affected SNAP recipients of Athens County,” Kevin McNamara, the restaurant’s owner, wrote in a post Monday night. “We welcome community support in making this happen, but we will not allow anyone to go hungry.”
McNamara said any customer who shows SNAP identification, such as a card or digital app, will receive a free meal starting Nov. 1. There will be no limit on the number of meals SNAP recipients can receive each day.
“Just tell me what you want to eat,” McNamara said. “How hungry are you? What I’m hoping happens is that other restaurants will get involved and step in.”
McNamara, who opened Hot Box in November 2024, said the restaurant’s mission has always included community support. The Court Street spot quickly became a staple among Ohio University students and Athens residents.
“My wife and I owned a similar franchise in Cleveland for over 10 years, and when we were doing that we did a lot of very community-focused things,” McNamara said. “After our franchise agreement expired, rather than renew it we thought that we could do something bigger and better if we did it ourselves.”
The government shutdown began earlier this month after Senate Democrats held firm on their demands for healthcare funding and the reversal of President Donald Trump’s Medicaid cuts, leading Congress to miss its funding deadline, according to the Associated Press. Trump has since failed to facilitate additional meetings to help prevent the shutdown, leading to the now second-longest shutdown in U.S. history.
The USDA announced the Trump administration would not use the $5 billion in contingency funds to keep food aid flowing into November, according to the AP. The USDA said all federal food assistance would halt at the start of the month.
The AP reported the stalemate has caused furloughs and layoffs at state and federal levels, delays in Medicaid, the suspension of research and patient care at the National Institute of Health and uncertain outcomes for national parks and wildlife services.
In response to a request for comment on the shutdown’s effects in Athens County, the USDA provided a statement, similar to the one on its official website.
“Thank you for contacting our press office,” the statement read. “Due to staff furloughs resulting from the Radical Left Democrat shutdown, the typical monitoring of this press inbox may be impacted. We ask for your patience as the remaining staff work diligently to field your requests. As you await a response, please remember these delays could have been avoided had the Senate Democrats supported the clean Continuing Resolution to fund the government. Thank you for your patience and attention to this matter.”
McNamara said his staff fully supports the free meal initiative and hopes the move inspires other local restaurants and small businesses to step in, in hopes that those struggling with the consequences of the shutdown will feel supported by Athens.
“We want to serve the best food, and we really honor and respect each person, each customer that comes in,” McNamara said. “If three people come in wanting a hot box, I’m going to feed them.”
Starting Nov. 1, Hot Box will accept donations, with all additional proceeds going to local food pantries.
“Athens has always been a really special community, and a ‘we help each other’ kind of place,” McNamara said. “With things happening in the government, showing us how not to behave, how about we have Athens set the example for other communities to get involved and feed the hungry?”
