ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – Almost every week since May, Danielle Hammond enters a room lined with long white folding tables at the UnGUN Free Store. The space operates differently from a traditional grocery store, allowing families to pick two bags of items to help them get by.
There are no checkout lines or price tags, just limits. Shoppers can take two items from one section, one from another, depending on what’s available that day.
“We struggle month to month. I don’t get my stamps until the 16th, and it’s way off. This helps tremendously,” said Hammond, a SNAP recipient shopping at the store.
For Hammond, a mother of two, the UnGUN Free Store fills the gaps that SNAP benefits can’t cover, especially with the needs of her autistic daughter.
“They have opened their arms and opened their doors to many resources in the area,” Hammond said.
Hammond is one of dozens who line up before the doors open. Families juggle rising prices, limited benefits, and children who need meals every day.
The store is run by local activist Dr. Marty Casey, who created it so people could walk in with dignity and walk out with enough food to last a few more days.
“We don’t have a lot on the tables right now, so that tells me people are still hungry and we definitely need to continue to do this work,” Casey said.
Casey surveys the tables just an hour before close. With only a few items left, she says the proof is in the pudding — the need for food continues to grow.
On Wednesday, the USDA approved Missouri’s request to restrict what SNAP recipients can buy starting in 2026. The change would stop allowing people to buy candy, prepared desserts, soda, beverage mixes, and juices with less than 50 percent natural fruit.
Casey points to cost as a barrier to healthier choices.
“Carrots versus a big bag of Funyons, I would promise you that the Funyons are cheaper. If we’re really trying to change the mindset and make sure that people choose healthier choices, we need to make it affordable for them as well,” Casey said.
Hammond questions the restrictions’ impact on people with medical needs.
“What about the diabetic people that have to buy hard candy, what about the children that are diabetic and they need hard candy… That’s a need, not a want,” Hammond said.
She says families don’t need judgment — they need support.
As Hammond fills her grocery bags, she says she’s grateful for the room, the food on the tables, and the breathing room they provide for her family. But, she also worries that next year, this weekly trip won’t be enough to keep her family afloat.
The amendment to SNAP is set to take place in October 2026.
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