DC-area food banks prepare for increased need amid government shutdown
DC-area food banks prepare for increased need amid government shutdown
The government shut down less than 24 hours ago and already food banks in D.C. are bracing for impact. They saw a serious spike in need the last time the government shut down in 2018 but this time, data suggests it's a bit more complicated.
WASHINGTON - The government shut down less than 24 hours ago and already food banks in D.C. are bracing for impact.
They saw a serious spike in need the last time the government shut down in 2018 but this time, data suggests it's a bit more complicated.
A burgeoning concern:
The government's only been shut down for a day and already federal workers are forced to figure out how they’ll make ends meet.
"How are we going to pay the bills? It’s the first of the month, so your house bills are just being paid," said Willie Price, one of roughly 750,000 furloughed employees. "They forget us, they forget that we have to live too."
The workers at the Capital Area Food Bank promise they’ve not forgotten those like Price, and are gearing up now to help an influx of federal workers in the DMV put food on the table.
"Many federal government employees in particular, they do live paycheck to paycheck and it doesn’t take that long for them to go to a place of financial stability to financial strain," Capital Area Food Bank CEO Radha Muthiah said.
Muthiah noted that the last time the government shut down in 2018, throngs of furloughed federal workers showed up in need of assistance and quickly.
"When you’re in a place of financial strain, the line item in your budget that you can really squeeze is your food budget. We saw that really clearly the last time; one missed paychecks, two missed paychecks, and you have quite a few families across our region that are looking for support," said Muthiah.
The new challenge:
She adds that this time could be different though, because on top of the shutdown, many in the D.C. region were already struggling due to federal cuts to jobs and spending.
The food bank’s newest report released last week revealed that in May, 41% of households affected by those cuts were already considered food insecure.
"On top of a scenario where we’ve had elevated levels of need still coming out of the pandemic," Muthiah says.
But she also says her team’s got a plan, and food to feed you if and when you need it.
"We are here to help you," said Muthiah. "And our network is here to support you. We're a community that takes care of one another."
Of course, there's so much uncertainty as we just don't know how long this shutdown will last.
If you have concerns about food insufficiency, go to capitalareafoodbank.org to find a distribution site near you.