Free Food For Furloughed Government Workers In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, OH — The Lakewood Community Services Center is offering free food to furloughed government workers throughout the duration of the shutdown. Impacted federal employees merely need to bring proof of their employment to participate.

The program is open to Lakewood, Rocky River, and Westlake residents. The Lakewood Community Services Center is located at 14230 Madison Avenue. The complex is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesday night from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Similar programs designed to aid furloughed federal workers have cropped up across Northeast Ohio and the nation. Stouffer's, with offices in Solon, is giving away free meals to impacted government employees on Wednesday. The meals can be collected at the company's Solon offices, 30003 Bainbridge Road. Participants only need a valid government ID to receive the meal.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. And like Patch on Facebook!)

The federal government is entering the fourth week of its shutdown. On Monday, President Donald Trump rejected a short-term legislative fix and proclaimed he would "never ever back down."

There is no clear ending in sight for what is now the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. Approximately 800,000 U.S. government employees nationwide have been furloughed. Those workers are now missing paychecks. Many Ohioans have been impacted by the shutdown, including NASA employees, TSA agents, national park workers, and more.

Photo from Google Earth