Philabundance sets up weekly food provisions for U.S. workers missing paychecks

A Philadelphia nonprofit is working with several organizations to set up opportunities to provide free food staples to furloughed workers.

Tom MacDonald

January 22, 2019

TSA workers are required to work without a paycheck during the shutdown. (WHYY, file)

Federal employees in Philadelphia struggling without a paycheck have a new resource for assistance.

Philabundance is working with several organizations to set up opportunities to provide free food staples to furloughed workers, said Stefanie Arck-Baynes, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit.

“Philabundance is pairing with food-sharing food programs, nutritional development services and Campbell’s to bring an emergency market to workers who have been impacted by the federal shutdown,” she said Tuesday as the second month of the federal government shutdown began.

The emergency market will have some everyday supplies people depend on, Arck-Baynes said.

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“There will be soup, there will be bread, we will have some produce, and, possibly, some baby food as well for people in need,” she said.

The market will be available to furloughed workers with government identification Wednesdays under the Interstate 95 overpass at Front and Tasker streets in South Philadelphia from 10 to 11 a.m.

Organizers intend to keep the market going until two weeks after the government shutdown ends.

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