Wheezy’s Restaurant and What’s Up Yuma team up to create ‘Feed the Forgotten’ program
Joaquin Hight
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A local restaurant and radio show have partnered to create a program that aims to support families affected by the government shutdown.
Furloughed workers and their children, along with people who depend on SNAP benefits, can go to Wheezy’s restaurant and receive a free meal.
Wheezy’s owner, Eleni MacAdam, shares the mission behind this program.
“We don’t want any children to go unfed. We want to make sure they’re taken care of,” MacAdam shared. “During this time where the government is fighting with each other, and everybody’s being divided, we want to make sure to come together to support.”
Furloughed workers will be given free tea and coffee, and kids of furloughed parents or those on food stamps can get free pasta and pancakes by showing their CAC or EBT card.
Yuma local Robert Archiable showed his support by buying meals for others in need.
“These people are going through a hard time, and it has nothing to do with them. It’s the people in Washington that aren’t doing their jobs, in my opinion. There’s probably a lot of people that feel that way,” he explained.
Host of “What’s Up Yuma Radio” and owner of “What’s Up Yuma,” Jonny Porter, shares more on the dedication to this program.
“And I’ve been doing my best to step up, making sure my kids don’t go hungry, and I know a lot of other families are struggling with that right now as well, so it hit home, and we’re gonna hit this out of the park and make sure nobody goes home hungry during this shutdown,” Porter expressed.
Programs like this are a remarkable reminder of how this community supports one another in times of great stress.