- Big Mama’s Kitchen is serving free soup and cornbread daily to anyone who walks in, no questions asked. Instead of letting leftover soup go to waste, the restaurant is donating it at the end of each day to local groups that can safely store and redistribute it.
- North Omaha Community Partnership is freezing and storing the donated soup and plans to distribute it directly to neighbors in need — even outside of its normal appointment-only pantry system — as more families face food shortages while SNAP benefits are paused.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
As the federal pause on SNAP benefits continues, more families are turning to local support systems to help fill the gap. In North Omaha, one restaurant is stepping up to make sure neighbors don’t go hungry — and that no food goes to waste.
Big Mama’s Kitchen & Catering, known for its fried chicken and Southern-style comfort food, has begun offering free soup and cornbread to anyone who needs a meal. No purchase or questions necessary.
At the end of each day, instead of letting freshly cooked soup go unused, the restaurant is passing it to community organizations that can store and redistribute it.
"Food is a need and it's the bare necessity," one organizer shared.One of those partners is the North Omaha Community Partnership, led by Executive Director Tamika Mease. The nonprofit focuses on family support, self-sufficiency, mental health wellness, and education.
Now, they’re helping Big Mama’s freeze and store the donated soup — making sure it can be offered to neighbors in the coming days and weeks.
"We're blessed to know what to do in crisis situations… and how to serve others at our greatest capacity," Mease said.With SNAP benefits paused, Mease says the organization has seen a rise in people seeking its appointment-only food pantry, which typically serves about 50 families a month.
"We will be able to contribute that from our pantry… without an appointment to people in need… until we run out," she added.Big Mama’s owner, Gladys Barron, says in just the first few days of the effort, more than 200 free meals have gone out to neighbors.
"Community is so important… so even if you don’t run a large organization or run a food pantry… just offering a lending hand to your neighbor is good enough," Barron said.Support from groups like the North Omaha Community Partnership and Black Men United is helping keep the effort going — with the hope that it can continue until SNAP benefits are reinstated.
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