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NGOs, Enterprises Offer Free Food to Employees Affected by US Govt Shutdown

22:24 GMT, 14 January 2019
© AP Photo / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Businesses and charities across the United States have begun offering free food to federal government workers affected by the ongoing government shutdown, as thousands of furloughed employees struggle to make ends meet without getting paid.
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The latest offering comes from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), which will open a temporary emergency kitchen in Washington, DC for government employees affected by the shutdown, the nonprofit group announced in a Twitter post on Monday.

"Starting this Wednesday 1/16, WCK opens our Chefs For Feds kitchen and café for FREE hot meals at 701 Pennsylvania Ave NW near the Navy Memorial for all federal employees in need and their families," the group said in a Twitter post announcing the initiative, launched by celebrity chef turned humanitarian Jose Andres.

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The WCK is just one of dozens of businesses, charities and unions in the capital and across the country that have announced efforts to feed some 800,000 federal workers who have either been sent home or forced to work without pay since the shutdown began on December 22.

Charities including the Capital Area Food Bank and Bread for the City in Washington, are handing out canned food, baby formula and fresh produce to anyone who shows their federal government identification. Businesses, unions and charities across the country have launched similar initiatives to help federal employees.

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The US government has been partially closed for 24 days, a record in US history. The shutdown started on December 22 after President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress could not reach an agreement on a spending bill due to the border wall funding issue.

Trump is continuing to call for $5.7 billion for the US-Mexico border wall, but Democrats are not willing to back this proposal. The discussions between the parties at the White House has not yield any results so far.

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