NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A Newport News nonprofit is expanding its services to help federal employees and their families navigate the ongoing government shutdown.
Thrive Peninsula, a free grocery store that serves families struggling with food insecurity, is offering walk-in hours and financial assistance specifically for furloughed workers affected by the shutdown that began Monday.
"When we had the government shutdown 6 to 7 years ago, we saw federal workers then. We saw people from NASA, we saw military folks come in who never accessed resources, had no idea how to do it," said Angela York, Thrive Peninsula executive director.
The organization, located on Nettles Drive in Newport News, typically stays busy helping families in the area with food assistance. Now, workers are amping up their services to prepare for an influx of federal employees seeking help.
"We wanted to make it super easy by offering walk-in hours so they can get the services they need to prevent eviction, or get groceries to get them through this time of hardship," York said.
As of July, over 180,000 federal employees work in Virginia and will continue working without pay during the shutdown. This prompted Thrive leaders to also offer financial assistance for families who apply.
"They just fill out a basic form, upload their bill and we'll take it from there to try and see how we can support them. We don't want any families to be evicted during this government furlough," York said.
The nonprofit stocks dry goods, spaghetti noodles and other staple items that families commonly eat. However, Thrive was already grappling with potential federal funding cuts before the shutdown began.
Newport News neighborhood reporter Kelsey Jones spoke with a volunteer who was furloughed but didn't want to go on camera because of his work. He said he expects to see many people in his situation seeking help, especially military and veteran families.
"We wanted to be prepared on day one, knowing that people would start to filter in throughout the week, but we wanted to have a plan in place so that if someone did show up immediately, we'll be ready for them," York said.
The organization buys a large percentage of the food they provide, though they rely heavily on volunteers and donations, making community support more crucial going forward.
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