RICHMOND, Va. β As the nation's second-longest government shutdown continues, a Richmond restaurant is stepping up to help community members struggling to make ends meet.
Samuel Veney, owner of Philly Vegan on the city's south side, has implemented a "pay what you can" menu for the duration of the shutdown. The initiative allows any customer to pay whatever they can afford for their meal β sometimes at a reduced rate, sometimes for free.
"There are people that are worried about what's going to happen in these upcoming days, weeks and months," Veney said. "I am seeing a lot of people that are afraid. They don't know where their next meal is coming from. They don't know where their next paycheck is coming from."
The shutdown has left millions of Americans furloughed or working without pay, while tens of thousands of Virginians risk losing SNAP benefits by October's end.
Watch: Virginia creates emergency food assistance program as federal shutdown looms. Here's how it works.
"When the government shutdown seemed like it was taking longer than expected, one of our owners said 'Hey why don't we just run our pay what you can menu as long as the government is shutdown' and all of our other owners were on board 100%," Veney said.
This isn't the first time Philly Vegan has offered community support through food access.
"In four and a half years we've fed almost 7,000 people at a free or reduced rate," Veney said.
The restaurant's generosity is inspiring other local businesses to take similar action. 1115 Mobile Kitchen is offering pay-what-you-can meals from their food truck this Sunday, while Mama J's is accepting donations to provide free food. Secret Squares also helped customers last Wednesday.
Beyond restaurants, Pigtails and Crew Cuts on Willow Lawn is supporting the community through its Open Chair project, providing vouchers for free haircuts during the shutdown.
"It's beautiful," Veney said of the community response.
While the increased demand is putting financial pressure on Philly Vegan's bottom line, Veney says serving people in need makes it worthwhile.
"It's like what's it about⦠the money or the people and for us it's about the people," Veney said. "What we can't afford to do is let our neighbors starve. What we can't afford to do is let our fellow man go hungry when we have the ability to help out."
If you're impacted by food insecurity, click here for a list of food banks in your area.
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