Food pantry offering free groceries to furloughed government workers

Some local furloughed federal workers have pointed out this week that they still have to pay the bills, even though they’re not getting a paycheck.

Lakeview Pantry is offering to help with one of those bills. The pantry, 3945 N. Sheridan, is offering any furloughed worker two weeks worth of groceries, the agency said in a statement. Workers must present a valid government ID to receive the groceries.

Typically, pantry clients must live within a certain geographic area. Because of the “unique circumstances” of the partial government shutdown, the agency is waiving that requirement, said pantry CEO Kellie O’Connell. Furloughed workers may return once a month for groceries while the shutdown continues and once a week for fresh produce.

Nationwide, some 800,000 workers, more than half of them still on the job, missed their first paychecks Friday under the partial government shutdown that began Dec. 22.

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Contributing: AP