As the government shutdown stretched into its second month, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined City Harvest on Saturday, Nov. 1, to host a food distribution for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers from LaGuardia Airport at Vaughn College in East Elmhurst.
Over 260 federal workers participated, and more than 9,300 pounds of food were distributed at the Vaughn campus, located across the Grand Central Parkway from LaGuardia.
“This weekend, I partnered with City Harvest to distribute fresh groceries to our TSA workers at LaGuardia Airport who have not received a paycheck in over a month because Republicans have halted negotiations to reopen the government,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “While millions of federal workers are missing paychecks, the White House has chosen to play politics with SNAP and risk plunging families across the country into hunger.”
On Tuesday, the Senate failed to advance a House-passed continuing resolution to end the government shutdown for a 14th time, which matched the longest shutdown in U.S. history at 35 days. The vote was 54 to 44, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance, and no new Democrats voted in favor of advancing the funding bill.
”While we fight to fully fund SNAP and reopen the government, I am grateful for the leadership, volunteers, and everyday people contributing to our food banks and ensuring our neighbors can still feed their families,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
More than 40 years ago, City Harvest helped to start the food rescue movement. This year, the organization will rescue more than 86 million pounds of high-quality food from local and national sources that would otherwise go to waste and deliver it, free of charge, to hundreds of food pantries and soup kitchens across the five boroughs.
“Even before the government shutdown, visits to New York City soup kitchens and food pantries were at a record high,” City Harvest CEO Jilly Stephens said. “Now that federal workers are missing paychecks and SNAP benefits are delayed and will not be paid in full as a result of the shutdown, even more of our fellow New Yorkers will need help putting food on the table. City Harvest is stepping up to provide as much food as possible for our neighbors in need at this critical moment.”
Vaughn College President Sharon DeVivo said the school is a proud partner with City Harvest to support its neighbors during such a challenging time.
“Their dedication to feeding families affected by the government shutdown reflects the heart of New York—compassionate, resilient and united,” DeVivo said. “Vaugh College is honored to serve as a hub for this vital effort, and we thank City Harvest for their unwavering commitment to our community.”
