U.S. Government Shutdown: 10 Ways to Help Federal Employees Affected By the Border Wall Issue by Cassandra Conyers

To pull part of a quote from a recent New York Times article: "... the government shutdown isn’t about building a border wall or standing up to President Trump. It’s about groceries."

That got me to thinking. Regardless of where one stands on the border wall issue, friends and families are worried and facing the loss of paychecks. They are wondering, “How are we going to eat?” Seems crazy in 2019, but that’s where we are.

But we can help. If you know anyone who works for the federal government, here are a few things we can do to help us all get through this time together. I’m sure you will think of plenty more.

• Make meals. 
• Invite families over to share a meal.
• Include families in fun times like movies and game nights.
• If there are school children, make sure they have lunch (or lunch money). Check your school or district and see if you can prepay for lunch for affected children.
• Make sure folks know their local food pantry.
• Offer to do laundry so a family doesn’t need to go to the laundromat.
• Offer to drive to help save gas money.
• Offer to run errands, if that will help.
• Open your home for chatting or praying.
• Be there as a listening friend.

We are in a crisis and it’s affecting us all, but some more viscerally than others. We can get through this together. We can be the community we all need to face the storms.

Please share your ideas for helping affected federal workers below.