As federal workers lose pay during the shutdown, many are turning to food banks for relief

Jeff Bennett:

The 24th government shutdown day marks another milestone for federal workers, whether they’re on furlough or still at work and have lost pay, and that’s putting a strain on household finances.

As Lisa Desjardins reports, many federal employees are now turning to local food banks to help put food on the table

Lisa Desjardins:

In Northern Virginia today…

woman:

Welcome.

Lisa Desjardins:

… A nearly mile-long line of cars made of federal workers was stretched thin by the government shutdown.

Letitia Ball, affected federal worker:

The money I had was pretty much exhausted by this point.

Lisa Desjardins:

It’s the third day that the Capital Area Food Bank is serving federal employees specifically…

man:

These are dry goods.

Lisa Desjardins:

…this time in two different locations. Unpaid workers and contractors waiting in line said they had to make cuts, like Vali Bennett, a single mother who works for the Department of Homeland Security.

Vali Bennett, affected federal worker:

I have a child in college, who is a senior in high school. You are in your final year of high school, there are a lot of celebrations, and a lot of things you want to do since it is your last year in high school. We have to slow down all activities.

Lisa Desjardins:

More than a million federal employees today lost their first full paychecks since the shutdown began. Among them is Zelani Johnson, a mother of three who works in the US Navy.

Zelani Johnson, affected federal worker:

It’s a terrible feeling. It feels really bad. It sure doesn’t feel good to not get one today, but then you also know that you don’t know when the next one will come either.

Lisa Desjardins:

This is after Republicans and Democrats in the Senate blocked each other’s bills yesterday to pay the wages of some or all workers during the shutdown period. Many federal employees were feeling or anticipating the pain in their pockets before today. Lines formed earlier this week at the Capital Area Food Bank’s first distribution in Prince George’s, Maryland.

Its 300 boxes of goods have sold out and people are still waiting. Today, with cars lining up starting at 5:30 a.m., there was greater demand and once again the supply was not enough.

woman:

We’ll probably run out of food before you get to the front of the line. This is our pantry network, additional places to access food. We will be back next week. I’m very sorry.

Lisa Desjardins:

It’s a national story with food banks springing up across the country. In Phoenix, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul began preparing additional meals and collecting donations in the first week of the closure.

Since TSA officers work without pay, airports are stepping up donation drives, including Las Vegas International Airport.

Luke Nimmo, Clark County Aviation Department: Las Vegas sees millions of passengers pass through our airport, and these federal entities provide critical safety, aviation safety and terminal safety services.

Lisa Desjardins:

And (in Salt Lake City, Utah).

Erin Mendenhall (Democrat), Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah: These are our neighbors. Whether you know them or not, these federal employees are from Utah. They are the Salt Lakers.

Lisa Desjardins:

The closure exacerbates already escalating food and hunger problems. Before the lockdown, the ACT Food Bank’s annual report on the ACT found a significant rise in severe food shortages, with people considered to be severely food insecure.

It is related to government job. As of May, 41% of families who lost government-related jobs were food insecure. This compares to 17% for families that did not experience job loss.

As the last boxes of food arrived in cars today, much earlier than the food bank had planned, a common theme remained among federal workers: Don’t forget them in all this.

Letitia Paul:

Just think about the American people who are here and working hard to survive. Just remember that.

Lisa Desjardins:

The Washington DC Area Food Bank is planning its next distribution event tomorrow. They expect demand to only grow as this lockdown continues.

For more, join the organization’s CEO, Radha Muthiah.

Radha, let me start right away, we know the demand has increased. How much did you increase it? What do you see as needed in the coming weeks?

Radha Muthiah, President and CEO, Capital Region Food Bank: Demand has increased dramatically over the course of this year. And what we’ve seen in particular is that food insecurity is higher among former federal government employees, those who were laid off over the course of the spring and this summer.

We have already doubled our distribution since before the pandemic and have also added another five to seven million meals that we are distributing to our communities here as a result of these shifts in federal policy.

Lisa Desjardins:

Do you have the resources to handle the demand you anticipate and the demand you are now facing due to the lockdown?

Radha Muttiah:

The only way we can increase the amount of food we distribute to the community is through the generosity of those around us who can support us in the community.

These are the individuals, companies, and organizations who have truly risen to the occasion, having seen such an incredible need throughout the community.

Lisa Desjardins:

I hear that strategy, I hear the community that it depends on, but how do you feel about the potential need in the future? This closure may continue for several more weeks.

Radha Muttiah:

We are concerned about how long the lockdown will last. Our hope is that this closure will end very quickly.

What concerns us is that for every additional week we are down, we are seeing an incredible level of demand in the community. For example, in the five distributions we had this week, we had to double what we had planned, and even then people left without getting food.

So, as we look to next week, we’re planning for about 400 families that we can provide food to in each different distribution.

Lisa Desjardins:

Today, when I was talking to the workers, I was in her car. She was told they might run out of food before she got to the front of the line, and I saw her face immediately begin to crumble. She almost started crying in front of me. She recovered quickly.

But what does this tell you about where federal employees are right now, and especially what this year has been like for them? How is this different from other lockdowns?

Radha Muttiah:

There is tremendous concern across our community at this point. People were already destabilized as a result of several shifts in federal policy earlier this year, and now they are struggling because they are unsure whether this is just a temporary loss of income and cash flow problem, or whether they will be paid at all for this period of time.

So we hear from many, like the woman I saw today, who are trying to negotiate their utility bills. They try to pay for basic things with a credit card just to get by. So there is tremendous concern throughout the community.

Lisa Desjardins:

I’ve been through other lockdowns. Is this one different in any way?

Radha Muttiah:

This lockdown is really different for two reasons. First, this comes on top of the layoffs that have occurred in our community. This is also important.

And secondly, people are really concerned about how long this is going to last, and whether they’re going to make it – whether it’s a loss of income and a cash flow problem, whether they’re going to be compensated – for this period of time.

Lisa Desjardins:

Radha Muttiah, thank you so much for joining us.

Radha Muttiah:

Thank you very much.