The end of the longest government shutdown in American history is finally in sight, a relief for hundreds of thousands of federal employees across the country who have gone without pay for weeks.
The month and a half of uncertainty has been especially hard on Washington, D.C., and neighboring Maryland and Virginia, where more than 400,000 federal employees live and work. The region was already unsettled this year by sweeping government layoffs, funding cuts and the deployment of federal forces to the streets of the capital.
Food banks and other charitable organizations have aided struggling families, who in many cases have also received city government assistance. But local businesses have also stepped in to help disheartened federal employees.
In and around Washington, businesses have provided meals, workout classes and financial services free of charge. They have offered discounts or waived fees on auto repairs, electrical work and veterinarian visits, and, in some cases, just created a welcoming place.
On Friday, P.C. Zai, who was furloughed from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, was at the Fibre Space yarn shop in Alexandria, Va., working on what would be a teal-colored raglan sweater. Her dog, Mazie, was at her feet.
The shop has offered free knitting classes and an independent study for federal workers like Ms. Zai, who said she had filled her days with activities to relieve some of the stress of the shutdown.
“Some people are completely locked down and freaking out — and it’s understandable,” she said. “But I think it helps to be in community for a little bit.”
Tranquil spaces
Up the stairs and at the back of Fibre Space, a sunny room was packed with women of all ages on Friday afternoon.
Danielle Romanetti, who opened the yarn shop in 2009, has offered free beginner lessons to federal employees during shutdowns dating back to the one in 2013, during the Obama administration. Furloughed workers have volunteered to run most of those sessions.
Ashley Bander, who lives in Alexandria and has been volunteering since being furloughed last month, joked that it was “almost like having a job — I’ve been here six hours a day sometimes.”
As Ms. Bander finished the last few stitches of a chunky cardigan, the others in the room cheered. She had started the project at the beginning of the shutdown.
“People who have been through this before can share some lessons with people doing this for the first time,” Ms. Bander said, adding, “There’s such a nice feeling of solidarity.”
In Bethesda, Md., just north of Washington, the minister of the Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ has tried to foster community spirit in a more traditional way: by opening the church’s sanctuary once a week to furloughed workers.
But it is not too traditional. The minister, Yonce Shelton, said he often organized community events open to anyone, regardless of their spirituality. He said he had been asked whether there were any limits on who could use the sanctuary, and whether people could bring in books or laptops.
“‘I think God’s OK with however you need to be in this place,’” was his response, Mr. Shelton said.
He added, “If one or two or three people find it, get some peace, to pray, think, yell, whatever — then that’s worth it.”
Hospitality and community
Business has plummeted at Airlie, a hotel and event venue in Warrenton, Va., more than 50 miles outside of Washington, as federal funding cuts led to canceled conferences and other events, said Josh Reichert, the managing director.
But surrounding Fauquier County has thousands of federal employees, he said. During the shutdown, Airlie has offered a free weekly buffet lunch for federal workers. Last week, it also provided therapy dogs and live music.
“Hospitality at its core is just about taking care of people,” Mr. Reichert said. “That means taking care of our community. Usually we’re inviting those outside of our community in, and this is our way of being hospitable to our locals and our neighbors.”
Sandy Patterson, a chef who runs the miXT food hall in Brentwood, Md., just outside Washington, said sales dropped by half in the middle of October, around the time that many federal workers got their last paychecks.
But during the shutdown, vendors have offered cheap and nutritious meals, including a $5 chicken, broccoli and rice bowl. Earlier this year, the food hall hosted networking events, a résumé workshop and free headshots for federal workers amid layoffs.
“The community,” Ms. Patterson said, “has a ton of empathy for each other and wants to help out other people. It just doesn’t feel like we’re feeling that from the government right now.”
One thing less to stress over
Ephrem Abebe and Steve Chu, the co-founders of Ekiben, a fast-casual Asian fusion restaurant in Baltimore, noticed that there was less support for federal workers in their city. So they posted a video to Instagram offering any item on their menu free of charge to federal workers.
It went viral, and Ekiben began making 500 food boxes each morning for World Central Kitchen, an aid group founded by the celebrity chef José Andrés, which hands them out to federal workers.
“I think what people are going through right now doesn’t really have a geographical location,” Mr. Chu said. “People are hungry, people are stressed, and these are all things that we can empathize with.”
Many other businesses, big and small, have tried to help those who might be struggling.
Bobby McLaughlin, an electrician and the owner of a small electrical contracting business in King George, Va., near a naval support facility where many federal workers have been working without pay, recognized that some might not be able to afford a steep bill in an emergency situation. He posted to Facebook that he would provide a pay-later option for federal workers.
“If the power goes out, that is a big deal,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “I’m just trying to give people some peace of mind.”
Roda, an auto service based in Rockville, Md., has been offering discounts on car repairs to current and former federal employees. It was first introduced in February during the mass federal layoffs, said Rachel Lubin, Roda’s chief executive, in order “to mitigate stress for a group of people for whom life has become even more stressful than normal.”
In Washington, the Friendship Hospital for Animals has waived emergency exam fees and offered interest-free payments. The hospital said it had helped almost 20 families take care of their pets.
Rebecca Ferguson-Ondrey, who was fired from the Health and Human Services Department in February, co-founded Wellfed, an organization supporting current and former federal workers. She said people and businesses had donated their time and services to the group’s events — from financial planning advice to bagels and a yoga session.
Ms. Ferguson-Ondrey said Wellfed’s programming would continue even after the shutdown ended.
“It’s a big question mark as to what the federal government is going to look like on the other side of this,” she said.
Aishvarya Kavi works in the Washington bureau of The Times, helping to cover a variety of political and national news.
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