Guard members, employees aid colleagues facing food insecurity

With more than 600 federal technicians at the Washington Military Department working without pay during the federal government shutdown, the agency — working in partnership with the National Guard Association of Washington — is collecting donations to help those facing food insecurity.

“We have a number of folks affected in different ways during the shutdown, and we started looking around and asking, ‘What can we do to help our people?’” said Col. Angela Gentry, Joint Services Support.

Each year, JSS conducts two major food distribution events — a Thanksgiving turkey drop and a Holiday Magic event — providing meals and gifts to employees and service members in need. For those efforts, the team typically partners with nonprofits and businesses to secure donated items. However, the shutdown prompted many within the organization to ask what they could do directly to support coworkers who may need some help.

“This started with a few members of our Military & Family Readiness team who simply wanted to make resources more available to our soldiers and airmen as they navigate this shutdown,” Gentry said. “It is so representative of the heart of our organization to see how quickly our community mobilized through donations, volunteering, or even just calling to ask, ‘what can I do?’”

Donations began arriving shortly after 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 31, and continued until just before noon. Senior leaders, state employees and traditional Guardsmen all contributed, eager to support their full-time counterparts who are currently without pay.

“I am so proud. This is a true community supporting one another. It’s a blessing we can appreciate and be grateful for today, despite the circumstances,” Gentry said.

Support also came through the National Guard Association of Washington’s Minuteman Fund, which typically provides scholarships or emergency assistance to Guard members but added food distribution as an option during the shutdown.

“These contributions helped us provide more than 250 grocery bags and other essential resources to our Washington National Guard soldiers, airmen, civilians, and their families during this challenging time,” said Courtney Lawson, president, Minuteman Fund, via email.