The SNAP Breakfast Program

It all started with a simple Instagram post.

Starting November 1st: If you are losing your SNAP benefits and are unsure how to feed your family, then breakfast is on us. No proof needed. No questions asked. — **hereticcoffeepdx** NO ONE should have to worry about their next meal. Portland fam, we know it’s not much, but we’ll do our best to keep you fed.

Starting November 1st, each day 8am-2pm. October 25, 2025View on Instagram (opens in a new tab)

In October of 2025, the U.S. federal government shutdown stretched into its 31st day, and over 42 million Americans were facing the loss of their SNAP benefits on November 1st. For many families in Portland, this was a question of whether there would be food on the table in the morning.

So on October 25, 2025, we posted something simple on social media: "If you are losing your SNAP benefits and unsure how to feed your family, then breakfast is on us. No proof needed. No questions asked."

In our wildest dreams, we couldn't have expected what happened next.

What happened over the next few days.

10M+views between all social and news outlets

$360K+raised to keep Portland fed

12,000+people donated to the SNAP Breakfast

The timeline

Here's how it all went down.

October 25th
The post goes viral.
The announcement went up on our social media, and within hours it goes viral. Over 16,000 likes, thousands of shares, and one comment that would define the next chapter for us: what came next: someone suggested we set up a donation link to help feed Portland. Fun fact: that person is now part of our Kitchen Crew!
We posted the link and went to bed. The next morning, we woke up to over $10,000 already in the fund.
October 27th
We started feeding people.
The game plan was to start the SNAP Breakfast on Saturday, November 1st...but, a child walked into the shop the next day, asking if they could get the SNAP Breakfast a couple of days before it started.
We started the SNAP Breakfast immediately, and posted: "No child should EVER have to ask for food. Portland, come eat. Do not go hungry."
October 30th
It just kept going.
Donations climb past $50,000. Then $184,000. Then $280,000. 12,000 people from across the world came alongside this beautiful movement to make sure Portland was fed.
By mid-November, we had raised $360,000.
November 5th
Our tiny shop, changed forever.
News stations rolled in, both local and global. Lines wrapped around our shop with both paying customers supporting our cause, and people looking for the SNAP Breakfast.
At this point, we knew this moment had changed our small, tiny shop forever, in the most beautiful way possible. We spent the month of November in a flurry of magical, crazy, and just-straight-beautiful moments of feeding people, watching people give what they had, and seeing our city come together to help the ones who hurt the most from our broken system.

Because of your generosity, the SNAP Breakfast is here to stay.

Our team made the decision that as long as we have funds in the SNAP Breakfast account, the free breakfast will be at Heretic. And, like always, no questions asked, no proof needed.