NEED TO KNOW
- A Riverside couple is turning their Halloween driveway into a pop-up food pantry, providing 30 grocery bags for families
- After a TikTok post, strangers’ donations on Venmo helped fund the effort
- Their project is now inspiring others to give back
When Martina Meyer-Toribio took a trip to her local Costco to stock up on Halloween candy, she immediately noticed the price jump — the same bags were nearly $4 more than last year, and smaller, too. She called her wife, Jacinda, to talk it over.
Together, they decided to scale back, picking up seven bags of candy instead of their usual 10 or 12, and filling the rest of their cart with instant noodles and potato chips — a fun alternative for the groups of teens who usually show up at their door each year.
But later that evening, after purchasing the treats, another thought struck them: food stamps were set to expire the day after Halloween.
Currently, over 42 million Americans rely on benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) warned that, amid the ongoing government shutdown, there would not be enough funding for SNAP recipients to receive their benefits on Saturday, Nov. 1. In response, several states are taking action this week to support residents at risk, AP News reported.
“So why don’t we take it a step further?” Jacinda, 50, recalls suggesting to Martina.
That’s when the couple, who live in Riverside, Calif., came up with the idea for a Halloween driveway food pantry — turning their holiday night into something even more meaningful.
“I mean, both of us are just givers by nature,” Jacinda tells PEOPLE exclusively over Zoom. “If we see someone sitting outside a Target, I can’t just walk by and buy them a water — I end up getting socks, deodorant, maybe baby wipes or tampons if it’s a woman. It’s just hard to walk past people and make them feel unseen.”
Jacinda’s compassion comes from experience. While she didn’t grow up facing food insecurity, she became a single mom at 23 and had to rely on every resource available: from food stamps and WIC to subsidized childcare and cash aid.
“I like to tell people I’m a graduate of the Welfare to Work program,” she says. “Those resources helped me survive and eventually get to where I am today. Now that I’m in a much better place, I feel like it’s my responsibility to throw the rope back, to remind others that there is another side.”
For Martina, 53, the cause hits close to home as well. She grew up in a low-income household. Her mom didn’t speak English well and often struggled to access resources, so the family had to stretch whatever they had.
Martina remembers relying on the free lunch program at school and her mom cooking big pots of rice and beans to last several days. By 14, she was already working to help support her family.
“I haven’t stopped working since I was 15,” Martina tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Back then, I knew I had to help my mom pay rent and make sure we had food. So now, being in a position to give back means everything. No kid should go hungry — everyone deserves to have that basic need met.”
Martina and Jacinda Meyer-Toribio with the food donations.
Martina and Jacinda Meyer-Toribio
Once they had the idea for the food pantry, Martina first reached out to their neighbors through a group chat, hoping to get some help gathering supplies.
“I thought for sure people would jump in — like, ‘Yes, here’s $25!’ ” Jacinda says. “But it was crickets. Everyone loves your Facebook post until it’s a GoFundMe, and suddenly no one sees it.”
So, she turned to TikTok.
Jacinda, who usually uses social media to support Martina’s posts and their dog business, didn’t expect much. But after posting a video explaining their idea, the response was immediate and overwhelming, and as the views soared, so did the donations.
“All these people started sending me money on Venmo, which is how we were able to stretch our dollars,” Jacinda explains. “Our original plan was to spend maybe $300 or $350 of our own money, but then I checked my Venmo and there was $900 sitting there. It was unbelievable.”
With the unexpected funds, the couple set out shopping. Their first stop: Walmart. They decided to fill 30 grocery bags, carefully packed with inexpensive staples that could stretch into full meals — Jiffy corn muffin mix, chicken and tomato bouillon, pasta, rice, condiments and pancake mix with syrup.
“We figured each bag would be worth about $30 or $35, which could feed someone for at least a week,” Jacinda says. “And we wanted to include the things that make food taste good too — seasonings, oils, the little details people don’t think to donate but make a real difference.”
Later, at Aldi, a stranger noticed their overflowing cart and jokingly asked if they were prepping for the apocalypse. “I told her, ‘No, we’re setting up a food pantry in our driveway for Halloween,’ ” Martina recalls. “She looked shocked.”
When they crossed paths at the register, the woman quietly handed Jacinda $10 from her own wallet.
“It felt like she gave me a million dollars,” Jacinda says. “She didn’t know me. I could’ve been a scammer for all she knew. That gesture — that level of trust and kindness — was everything.”
Closeup of the bags of food.
Martina and Jacinda Meyer-Toribio
Back at home, they began assembling the bags.
“We didn’t want them to be too heavy,” Jacinda laughs. “But the plan backfired, Martina said it felt like we were lifting kettlebells.”
Throughout it all, Jacinda continued sharing videos on TikTok, where views — and acts of kindness — kept multiplying. Not everyone understood why they were sharing their project online.
“I saw a comment that said, ‘You should give in private,’ and I get that,” Jacinda says. “But social media has power. You never know who it’s going to reach.”
“I’ve seen so many comments from single moms saying they’re struggling,” Jacinda adds. “And I just want to tell them, ‘Hello from the other side — you’re not going to be defined by this forever.’ ”
With Halloween tonight, the couple is putting the final touches on their setup.
They’ve arranged two tables in the garage. While they would have preferred to keep the food inside the house, the garage offers more space — though it’s notoriously not the cleanest. Around 4 p.m., they’ll drag the tables outside. One table will hold buckets of candy, chips, and ramen. The second will display the grocery bags, with extras tucked underneath for quick restocking.
“We’re going to ask people, in English and Spanish, if they need help with groceries,” Jacinda says.
She anticipates a large turnout.
“We get a lot of trick-or-treaters in this neighborhood — probably upwards of a thousand this year,” she says. “Last year, we had about five or six hundred, but this year it’s a Friday. People will come from different neighborhoods, maybe even on buses from churches.”
“Honestly, just seeing all the bags gone will be heartwarming,” Jacinda adds. “With the power of social media, we’re able to make a difference and put food on the table for 30 families.”
Closeup of the bags of food.
Martina and Jacinda Meyer-Toribio
Martina shares a more personal note about the emotional impact.
“For me, it’s also seeing the gratitude on people’s faces,” she says. “I’m a crybaby, and I know there are going to be a few tears tonight.”
Jacinda has also noticed the ripple effect their project has inspired.
“My coworker sent me an Instagram video — she made gallon-sized Ziplocs of food to pass out, with granola bars, applesauce, cup noodles, Pop-Tarts. Others are doing the same. One girl donated to her college food pantry,” Jacinda says. “So when people question whether posting online is performative, I think the opposite is true. It’s creating more kindness and action.”
“In a time that feels really dark, we just wanted to share a little light,” Jacinda says. “People keep calling us heroes or angels, but honestly, we’re just regular lesbians who drive a Subaru,” she adds with a laugh. “That’s who we are — two regular people trying to make our little corner of the world a bit better.”
