Brian Van Etten has family members who work for the federal government and aren’t receiving a paycheck due to the government shutdown. He’s also well aware that others are struggling. So he hatched a plan for Pizza Wizard, his business, to help.
He posted on social media that if people had lost their SNAP benefits, or if their federal paycheck hadn’t shown up, or if they were struggling, they could go into Pizza Wizard, take a card off the board and receive a free cheese pizza. There would be no payment, no paperwork, no questions.
He also said that people who wanted to help could purchase a $5 pay-it-forward cheese pizza coupon to add to the board. Van Etten estimates that $5 just about covers the ingredients for a cheese pizza – but not any of the labor or overhead required to make it.
The plan sounded so simple, but the situation quickly grew complicated.
Within an hour, 400 of the $5 pizzas had been purchased, and the number was growing quickly. Within 24 hours, the number of pay-it-forward pizza purchases had grown to 1,700. And that’s when Van Etten paused the option for donations.
“How do I make sure this doesn’t damage my business?” he said. “We can only make so much food.”
Brian Van Etten slices a nickel-thick pizza at Pizza Wizard at 760 S. Clinton Ave. in Rochester.
He arrived at a solution: Give away 25 pizzas a day – again, no questions asked. He said this will require him to go into work earlier to make two extra batches of dough.
On Nov. 5, five people were waiting at the door to claim pizzas when he opened, but there were still free pizzas on the board by mid-afternoon.
“It feels good,” he said. “It’s amazing.
“We’re not waving the white flag. We’re just pausing until we see the response from people actually coming in the door. The goal would be to keep this going indefinitely. Why not feed people who need it?”
“The real story here is the generosity and speed of our community to get help to people who need it,” he said. “If other businesses are in a position to do something similar, I’d encourage them to try. It doesn’t take a huge operation to make a real difference.”
Other businesses have, in fact, followed his lead. Montgomery Court, The Bagel Shop by Fox’s and Red Fern have announced similar schemes. Still other food establishments are finding different ways to pitch in.
Here are some of their efforts.
Where to get free food
Simply Crepes has five locations; this is at 1229 Bay Road in Penfield.
-
Montgomery Court, 1245 Park Ave.: Giving away 30 free “The ROC” breakfast sandwiches every day. No ID or SNAP card needed.
-
The Hideaway, 197 Park Ave: Providing a complimentary lunch from noon to 3 p.m. Thursdays for anyone directly impacted by the shutdown or by the lapse in food benefits. This includes federal employees, contractors, and individuals or families whose food assistance has been paused or reduced. No proof is required; just take a complimentary meal card from a basket inside the restaurant, and present it when ordering.
-
The Bagel Shop by Fox’s, 360 Park Ave.: Donate $5 to purchase a bagel with cream cheese and a hot coffee for a person in need.
-
Simply Crepes, 1229 Bay Road in Penfield: Distributing emergency food bags from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays in November. (The restaurant is closed Tuesdays.)
-
Equal Grounds Cafe, 750 South Ave.: Allowing customers to purchase a community meal for others in need.
-
Red Fern, 283 Oxford St., is offering a low dough burrito or soup-of-the-day pint, with no voucher, coupon or proof required. It is accepting donations for its community meals; any excess funds will be donated to The People’s Pantry of Rochester at the end of the month.
Businesses collecting for charities
Clownboy Coffee located at 1978 E. Main St., in the North Winton Village neighborhood in Rochester Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
-
Siren and the Sea, 426 South Ave.: Bring at least two non-perishable items to the bookstore/coffee shop and get $1 off your cafe order through Nov. 30.
-
Clownboy Coffee, 1978 E Main St.: Taking donations to help stock the Winton Library food stand and the NOTA food pantry weekly.
-
Mercury Coffee Co., 681 South Ave.: Collecting nonperishable items that will be donated.
-
Red Fern, 283 Oxford St., is collecting funds for The People’s Pantry of Rochester on its online store.
What is SNAP?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a federal program that provides low-income families monthly benefits in order to afford healthy food. Over 40 million Americans rely on these benefits, including nearly three million New Yorkers.
Why is the USDA freezing SNAP funding?
It’s due to the government shutdown, which is currently the longest in history.
Republicans are pushing to extend current funding levels through a stopgap solution. Democrats are fighting for changes to healthcare access and subsidies, including additional healthcare funding, to overturn previously approved cuts in Medicaid funding and to extend tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Tracy Schuhmacher covers the Rochester and Finger Lakes food and drink scenes. Email her at tracys@gannett.com.
Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Free food offers spread across Rochester during shutdown. See where
