Burlington County Hosting Food Drive For Unpaid Federal Workers

Burlington County is hosting a food drive to benefit furloughed federal workers as the longest government shutdown in American history came to an end on Friday. The food drive for local food pantries will run through Friday, Feb. 1, county officials announced.

“I am asking County residents and local businesses to join our efforts to help assist our Burlington County neighbors who are affected by the government shutdown,” Burlington County Freeholder Director Tom Pullion said. “The longest government shutdown in American history is affecting thousands of families. However, we want to do our part to provide some assistance to those who are struggling during this difficult time.”

Around 800,000 federal employees have been furloughed or have been working without pay since Dec. 21 and won't receive their next paychecks until the government reopens.
The following items will be collected during the drive:

• Canned meals such as canned mac & cheese, canned ravioli, canned beef stew, canned spaghetti and meatballs etc.;
• Canned items such as canned soup, canned tuna, canned vegetables and canned fruits;
• Jarred items such as jarred jelly, jarred peanut better, jarred pasta sauce, etc.; and
• Jarred baby food.

The following items will not be accepted, for safety reasons:

• rusty or unlabeled cans;
• perishable items;
• homemade items;
• noncommercial canned or packaged items;
• open or used items; and
• out of date or expired items.

Dropoff locations are as follows:

• County Administration Building;
• Human Services Building;
• Health Department Building;
• Public Safety Building; and
• The Burlington County Library Main Branch.

Staff will be on-hand to provide any assistance.

The food drive comes after the County Clerk’s Office and Animal Shelter waived fees for furloughed federal employees or those working without pay.

The Clerk’s Office waived fees payable to the office for passport processing, passport photos, notary public swearing in, notary certification and copy fees for documents. Recording fees and fees paid or divided with other government offices are still required.

The Animal Shelter is also offering free pet food to help aid furloughed families with pets during the shutdown.

Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images News/Getty Images.