SZA Teams Up With LA Restaurant To Provide Free Meals For SNAP Recipients

SZA is stepping up to help the thousands of Californians struggling to access food assistance during the government shutdown.

On Monday (November 10), SZA took to Instagram to announce her partnership with Los Angeles restaurant Jon & Vinny's to provide meals for families who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), whose November funding remains uncertain amid the ongoing government shutdown.

“Y’all know how much I love Jon and Vinny’s!! But it ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none!!” SZA wrote on Instagram.

As part of the effort, organized through SZA's nonprofit NOT Charity, Jon & Vinny's Slauson Avenue location will distribute 100 dinners for 2 between 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday (November 11) to November 18. The dinners are available to SNAP recipients who sign up by emailing notcharity@jonandvinnys.com. Up to four meals per family can be reserved.

“Last week @sza reached out to us with an idea and now, with her help, it’s a reality,” the restaurant wrote on social media. “Over the next 7 days we are partnering with her NOT Charity to provide 1,400 free meals for Los Angeles community members who receive SNAP. Please spread the word to those in need.”

SZA launched NOT Charity earlier this year, describing it as an organization “dedicated to nourishing underserved communities through holistic solutions.” The initiative has previously funded community fridges in Los Angeles, mutual aid programs in New Jersey, and food access projects in her hometown of St. Louis.

The Grammy winner's partnership with Jon & Vinny's comes as California remains in a legal standoff with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over a directive limiting SNAP funding to 65 percent during the shutdown. On Monday, a federal judge sided with California Attorney General Rob Bonta in blocking the USDA’s order, which he called “unlawful” and “confusing.”

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to keep full SNAP payments frozen, even as lower courts have ruled the government must continue funding. The shutdown, now stretching into its 42nd day, has left millions of Americans, including 600,000 Angelenos, struggling to afford food.

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