TikTok Creator Keith Lee Spearheads Initiative To Help Families Impacted By SNAP Benefits Pause

Food critic Keith Lee has launched an initiative to ensure people on SNAP benefits can remain fed.

During what is now the longest U.S. government shutdown, individuals and families are not receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as of Nov. 5, meaning some families may not have the means to buy groceries amid the holiday season.

As AFROTECH previously reported, Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of Providence, RI, has ordered the Trump administration to use a contingency fund for those who rely on SNAP benefits. The Hill reports the administration has agreed, but payments will still be delayed and are projected to be half the amount of what recipients typically receive.

Community support is needed more than ever, and Lee is using his platform, which includes 17.3 million TikTok followers alone (at the time of this writing), to launch a relief initiative for those impacted by changes in SNAP benefits. Lee revealed that when he got his start on TikTok, he was sharing videos of food he made for his wife purchased with food stamps and gift cards given to him by others.

Lee has been candid about his struggles with social anxiety, explaining that he was managing it by preparing meals, engaging in conversations, and distributing food to people in need during that time.

“How was I buying that food to make meals for the less fortunate? On food stamps and gift cards that people was giving me,” he explained in a TikTok video.

Lee has worked with countless brands through his efforts to make a social impact, and now he has issued a call to action for them to join him in providing free meals to those in need.

“I refuse to take any money. I don’t want no money. I don’t want no nothing. I don’t want no partnership when it comes to this,” he said in a TikTok video. “I want this to be specifically about the families we feeding and the holidays, that we making the holidays and the families that we able to take care of. That’s all I care about.

“It’s about these babies. It’s about their holidays,” he continued. “And we want to make sure that we are supporting the families in this holiday. So if you are a brand, and you want to be a part of it, I’ll see you in the comments. God bless you.”

Since sharing that video at the start of November, over 40 big brands, including DoorDash, and more than 60 small brands have reached out to express their interest in partnering with Lee to lend a helping hand. Lee, who recently moved to Dallas with his family, plans to host an in-person meet-up locally where families can pick up available products. He also intends to establish a warehouse or office to store incoming donations before distributing them to those in need.

“I want to take this opportunity to say it’s not something that is uncommon or something crazy that has to occur for you to be in a situation where you need SNAP or you need food stamp benefits. And I am a prime example of that,” he said in another TikTok video. “When my first and second daughters were born, we was on food stamps. And I vividly remember exactly what it feels like.

“I thank God in advance that we going to be a part of making somebody else have a great holiday,” he continued. “And as always, I appreciate y’all … All of the brands that have reached out, I’m going get back to y’all again.”

@keith_lee125

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