'This is the first time I've had to ask for help': Shutdown sends federal workers to food banks
newsdepo.com
The government shutdown has federal workers lining up at food banks to get by while their paychecks aren’t coming. Whether they’re off the job or required to work without pay, people need to eat. In Washington, D.C., the Capital Area Food Bank offered po'This is the first time I've had to ask for help': Shutdown sends federal workers to food banks
The government shutdown has federal workers lining up at food banks to get by while their paychecks aren’t coming. Whether they’re off the job or required to work without pay, people need to eat. In Washington, D.C., the Capital Area Food Bank offered pop-up sites for federal workers Saturday morning, giving food to 1,140 people—people who’d mostly been accustomed to donating money to food banks, not getting food from them. “For many, many years, I sent in donations to the Capital Area Food Bank,” one older woman told a volunteer as she picked up food. “This is the first time I’ve had to ask for help.” Hundreds of Coast Guard families visited food banks in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and Novato, California, while in some locations, FBI field offices are setting up their own food banks where employees who are able to donate can leave food for coworkers who need it. The FBI has also seen an increase in workers asking permission to do outside work—they aren’t allowed to take just any job. Chef José Andrés has opened a kitchen offering free lunches to federal workers in Washington, D.C., and has served thousands of meals per day. Read more