ELKINS — With Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits being delayed due to the federal government shutdown, a local small business has organized a way for children in Elkins to get a free meal each day of the entire month of November.

Emily Watson, co-owner of Clementine’s Cantina in Elkins, said she decided to put a plan together after reading comments on social media from many families worried about how their children will eat this month. One in eight Americans use SNAP to buy groceries, and most of the program’s participants are families with children.

“I was on the internet and saw where everyone was really worried about the government shutdown and SNAP benefits being delayed for November,” Watson said. “Here in our county (Randolph), that is really rough because a majority of our families here really rely on that benefit.

“Many of the families have children and they are concerned with how their children are going to get fed. I didn’t really see anyone doing anything at the time so I decided to try and do something.”

Watson said that with her and husband, Zack, owning a restaurant, it made sense for them to take a day and feed kids in Elkins.

“After we decided to do it, I started wondering if other businesses in the area would be willing to take a day,” Watson said. “So I started messaging a bunch of the local restaurants, kind of expressed my concerns, and wondered if they would be interested in assisting by providing meals for kids for the whole month of November. Some of them couldn’t do it and I totally understand, but we were able to get a different restaurant for each day.”

Watson’s idea became the “Feed the Kids Initiative” and the first free meals for the month will be distributed today when Mona’s Egg Rolls and the Delmonte Market offer free meals. Mona’s will be giving away lumpia, or an egg roll with pancit, to children from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Elkins Walmart parking lot, while the Delmonte will have a free hotdog meal with chips and ice cream from noon until 4 p.m.

On Sunday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Clementine’s Cantina will offer children a free quesadilla meal or taco meal with a beverage from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Darren’s Pizza Shack will give children a kids’ cheese calzone or personal pan pizza with a beverage on Monday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

On Tuesday, both El Gran Sabor and the Steer Steakhouse will offer free meals to kids. El Gran Sabor is offering the choice of a chicken strips, taco, cmpanada or arepa meal served with rice from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Steer is offering a free buffet with the purchase of an adult buffet.

On Wednesday, Las Trancas is offering the choice of chicken tenders, cheese quesadilla, enchilada or taco meal for kids. Each will be served with beans and rice from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The El Toro Steakhouse will provide children with a free cheese burger and fries meal, or chicken nuggets and fries meal, on Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both meals will include a beverage.

K&K Cafe will give kids a free pancake and sausage meal, a hotdog meal, or a cheeseburger meal on Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The hot dog and cheeseburger meals will include a beverage.

“The meals are for school-aged children and younger, and we will continue to give them out for the whole month of November,” Watson said. “Small businesses like the restaurants taking part in this initiative are always willing to help out the community. Providing meals for children shouldn’t be debated, it should be a given.”

Watson said the restaurants attempted to set the times up for the meal when children will be out of school and needing a meal around dinner time.

“We wanted to do dinner times because most of the children are in school and they will be getting lunch there, but the dinner is definitely in question,” Watson said. “All of us are glad that we can help out during this difficult time.”