Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds will stop on Nov. 1 amid the government shutdown.

Almost 1 million New Jerseyans rely on SNAP; about 40% of recipients are children.

Restaurants in North Jersey are offering free meals to those who will lose benefits.

Mey Murtis, of Dumont, grew up in an immigrant household with six siblings and, as she put it, “no money to our name.” So she felt a personal obligation to help when it was announced that benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will run out on Nov. 1, 2025, leaving almost a million food-insecure New Jerseyans without vital assistance.

“I’m somebody who grew up on food stamps,” she said. “I know what it’s like to grow up hungry … and to know so many people are going without food breaks m

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