These companies are giving away free food and services to federal employees affected by the government shutdown

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These companies are giving away free food and services to federal employees affected by the government shutdown

world central kitchen government shutdown

Tom Williams/Getty

A number of companies are stepping in to help federal employees.

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  • The federal government shutdown is in its 33rd day.
  • Many federal employees have now gone an entire month without a paycheck, despite many of them still being mandated to show up for work or risk termination.
  • To help ease the sting of this record-breaking shutdown, a number of companies have stepped forward to donate food and other goods and services to the federal employees affected by it.

The US federal government shutdown that began on December 22, 2018 has far surpassed the previous record for the longest such lockout, a 21-day affair that spanned from December of 1995 into January of the following year. And with no sure end in sight, the current shutdown will likely keep tacking on days for some time yet.

Approximately 800,000 federal employees are going without paychecks during this shutdown - for reference, that's a number larger than the population of the states of North Dakota, Alaska, Vermont, and Wyoming. Of those 800,000, most are still working. About 380,000 have been furloughed, meaning they are on forced unpaid leave, leaving some 420,000 on the job but without pay.

While the shutdown persists, the families who depend on those unpaid paychecks are the ones feeling the pain. Fortunately, a number of companies have stepped up to help out where the government has dropped the ball.

These 10 companies are some of the many donating food and other goods and services to US federal workers left high and dry by the shutdown in DC:

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Kraft Heinz

Kraft Heinz

If you're a federal employee going without pay, you work in the greater DC Metro area, and you love cheese, then Kraft Heinz has you covered. The company established a pop-up store that, from January 16 to 20, gave out bags filled with Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, American cheese singles, and various other products to anyone who could display a valid government ID.

World Central Kitchen

World Central Kitchen

When disaster strikes, often Chef José Ramón Andrés and his nonprofit, World Central Kitchen, aren't far behind. The chef and his team have served free meals to Puerto Ricans affected by 2017's Hurricane Maria, survivors of last year's Camp Fire in Paradise, California, and now to those suffering during the shutdown. Since January 16, a World Central Kitchen pop-up restaurant has been serving daily free meals and to-go items to DC area workers affected by the shutdown.

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Hyundai

Hyundai

Automaker Hyundai offered thousands of drivers a real break by deferring all vehicle loan-and-lease payments owed by out-of-pay federal workers for an entire month, according to a press release. As the workers currently going without checks but still being called into work are guaranteed back pay, for many Hyundai owners, this deferred collection will mean the difference between losing a vehicle and simply paying for it later.

Pork Barrel BBQ

Pork Barrel BBQ

The Alexandria, Virginia, restaurant Pork Barrel BBQ is offering a pork sandwich a day for any furloughed federal worker. Why is one local restaurant's offer worthy of being treated like national news? Precisely because it's not a national chain; this is a one-off local restaurant that stands to take a huge loss by giving major support to DC-area workers at the heart of the shutdown. (And by the way, this isn't the first time they have extended just such an offer.)

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Sweetgreen

Sweetgreen

Sweetgreen, the salad chain with locations across the country, tweeted the following on January 11: "Today, many Federal government employees will go without a paycheck due to the shutdown. We hope to provide some small relief by taking care of dinner. Visit any DMV location this weekend (1/11 - 1/13) from 6-8pm and receive a free signature salad with your Federal government ID."

Potbelly

Potbelly

The national sandwich chain tweeted on Tuesday that all federal government employees could purchase buy-one-get-one-free sandwiches at any of their stores from January 23 to 27.

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Airports

Airports

TSA agents are some of the most visible federal employees, ever present at airport checkpoints, and for many of us, they are the most immediately vital federal workers. Without them, airport checkpoints don't function, and we don't travel.

To help support these essential employees who are going without pay, a number of airport operators have begun programs donating food to their TSA agents, CNBC reported. This includes fresh lunches given by STL in Saint Louis, nonperishable foods by Seattle's Sea-Tac, and a range of goods at Orlando International, to name just a few.

Sky Zone

Sky Zone

Need a fun way to get your mind off the government shutdown mess that has your paycheck grounded? Then get some air for free at a Sky Zone. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, the trampoline gym is offering a free hour-long jump session to any affected government workers and up to three of their immediate family members, too.

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Congressional Federal Credit Union

Congressional Federal Credit Union

This Washington, DC-based credit union is offering loans at a 0% rate for an initial 60-day period and a low 4% rate to be spread out over a pre-arranged 36-month period, according to the bank’s website. This allows furloughed workers to get cash quickly but not pay (too much) for it over time, avoiding an all-too-common vicious cycle of loans leading not to solvency, but to poverty.