Food pantry opens at Philadelphia International Airport for federal workers amid government shutdown
In the first two days of being open, the pantry has served some 250 airport workers.
As the government shutdown nears a full month and federal employees at airports continue to work without getting paid, the city’s Department of Aviation has set up a pop-up food pantry at Philadelphia International Airport to give out canned goods, cereals, produce, bread, diapers, and toiletries to these workers.
The pantry, which is in an office area of Terminals D/E, began receiving donations Oct. 20. The Department of Aviation has asked airport employees and businesses to contribute nonperishable foods, toiletries, and gift cards.
The pantry has so far opened twice for affected workers to pick up items — on Oct. 24 and 27 — and expects to be available Wednesday evening, according to Heather Redfern, spokesperson for the city’s Department of Aviation.
“The pantry will be open when we have donations,” said Redfern.
In its first two days, the pantry served some 250 employees, Redfern estimated.
Roughly 1,700 badged federal employees work at the airport, including air traffic controllers, TSA workers, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees.
On Tuesday air traffic controllers, who continue to work across the country, missed their first full paycheck since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. Locally, roughly 135 air traffic controllers control airplanes in and out of the Philadelphia and Newark air space.
TSA employees missed their first full paycheck on Oct. 24.
Throughout the shutdown, some local federal workers have continued to work without pay, while others have been furloughed.
Government employees who continue to work and those who have been barred from carrying out work are expected to get back pay when the shutdown ends. Still, many are feeling the strain of not knowing when their next paycheck will come.
Some workers have said they are putting their mortgages on hold, cutting back on expenses where they can, and applying for SNAP benefits — which are now expected to be unavailable in November.
Staff reporter Fallon Roth contributed to this article.