Local Businesses Giving Back To Federal Workers Affected By Government Shutdown
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Local businesses are offering a helping hand for the TSA and air traffic controllers at the Philadelphia International Airport as the federal government shutdown continues. Folks at the airport and Atlantic Aviation are pooling resources and are on the receiving end of quite a few donations for unpaid federal workers.
Donations were rolling in an airport terminal on Tuesday morning to fill up a food pantry that can be accessed by any federal worker.
You don't have to be TSA or air traffic control, if you work for the federal government, all you have to do is show your federal identification and that will allow you to take what you need.
There are also local businesses answering the call and helping federal employees who are not getting a paycheck.
"They have over 30 days that they been working and keeping the airport running, keeping us safe, without getting paid and that really starts to hurt, and so our community has responded," said Shellie Cameron, CEO of the Philadelphia Aviation Division. "This is what Philadelphia is all about -- coming together during times of need and making sure people have what they need to survive."
John Ordway, who owns Jule's Thin Crust Pizza, rolled out his food truck for federal workers who are still on the job despite not getting a paycheck. More than 200 pies were made for the workers.
"It sort of started the other day when a friend of mine who is an American Airlines captain was telling me he was handing out gift cards to TSA employees as he was going through as a giveback, given what's going on with the situation with the partial shutdown," said Ordway. "It occurred to me we could do something as well as a company since we own multiple stores and do thousands of pizzas."
The airport and Atlantic Aviation have described it as a team effort and they said it was easy to rally their employees to donate to federal workers not getting a paycheck.
