West Suburban Community Pantry is offering furloughed workers free groceries.
While back pay has been approved for furloughed workers, many federal employees still face challenges in paying for rent, groceries and other bills that will accumulate while the government is shutdown continues.
West Suburban Community Pantry is offering to help with one of those bills. The Pantry is offering any furloughed worker two weeks’ worth of groceries. Workers must present a valid government ID to receive the groceries.
“Many furloughed workers might not think they qualify for a food pantry and under normal circumstances, they might not. The partial government shutdown has created a unique and urgent situation, so our agency is prepared to offer our services to those impacted” said Pantry Executive Director, Laura Coyle.
Following the lead of Lakeview Pantry in the city of Chicago, West Suburban Community Pantry will be temporarily waiving requirements for furloughed workers and allowing them access to groceries and fresh produce at their Woodridge based facility located at 6809 Hobson Valley Dr., Unit 118.
Nationwide, some 800,000 workers, more than half of them still on the job, missed their first paychecks last Friday under the partial government shutdown that began December 22, 2018.
Furloughed workers will be eligible to receive fresh produce, milk, eggs, meats and shelf stable food items through the Pantry. WSCP is available to clients twice a month for groceries and fresh produce is available weekly. Other services, such as mobile pantries that serve families in central locations, are also available to federal employees. West Suburban Community Pantry hosts mobile pantries in Romeoville, Bolingbrook and Willowbrook. A schedule can be found at www.wscpantry.org.
