Hundreds of cars lined a road in Northern Virginia on Friday morning as federal workers and government contractors waited for boxes of food distributed from the parking lot of a local nonprofit group, United Community.
Some arrived as early as 5:30 in the morning so that they would be guaranteed to leave with enough groceries to last several days.
Volunteers loaded food into 320 vehicles to help unpaid federal workers and contractors make ends meet as many missed their first paycheck as a result of a government shutdown that has no end in sight. They ran out of boxes in 90 minutes.
Tina Chroom, a furloughed custodial worker at the Capitol, waited patiently in the line that stretched for a quarter of a mile. Friday would have been her payday, were it not for the shutdown. Ms. Chroom, 62, said she has worked at the Capital for 15 years. She said the uncertainty around how long the shutdown will last is particularly difficult.
“I’m putting my trust in God,” she said.
Friday’s food distribution was one of five in the region this week organized by the Capital Area Food Bank and targeted specifically to federal workers and contractors.
The area is home to nearly 20 percent of the federal work force, according to the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit that works to promote best practices in the federal government. Food instability in the region has increased over the past nine months as so many people lost their federal jobs, said Radha Muthiah, the president and chief executive of the Capital Area Food Bank.
Similar food banks of varying sizes are popping up around the country, including in front of airports where transportation security officers and air traffic controllers continue to work without pay.
Friday was the 24th day of the government shutdown, and federal workers said they were not optimistic that it would be over soon, as Congress has shown no progress in reaching an agreement on a funding plan.
About 1.4 million federal workers are furloughed or working without pay, according to an estimate from the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington-based think tank.
By law, furloughed federal workers receive back pay after the government reopens. Still, President Trump has said he may not pay back everyone, regardless of the legal implications. And contractors do not receive back pay.
Kitty Bennett contributed research.
Eileen Sullivan is a Times reporter covering the changes to the federal work force under the Trump administration.
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