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Community steps up to help those impacted by government shutdown

Businesses, churches and nonprofits all over the Carolinas are reaching out.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The government shutdown has reached day 31, with impacts continuing to ripple through the Carolinas.

In North Carolina, more than 6,000 federal workers are working without pay, including employees of the FBI, federal prosecutors and judges, the TSA, and even employees of the National Weather Service.

With bills still due, many have been turning to the community for help.

“We had two families who said, well we’re really hungry. We don’t know where our next meal is going to come from,” said Maleka Anderson, co-founder of Moms Making Moves.

The local organization provides everything from food and hot meals to toothbrushes for families in a pinch.

Anderson said with no end of the shutdown in sight, she took to the Facebook group devoted to Charlotte moms, hoping to reach families.

“We are passing out toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, we have lots of shampoo to pass out, lots of lotion," she said. "A lot of those things that you use all the time and you run through every month."

Anderson isn’t alone. All over the Carolinas, helping hands are reaching out.

Salon M2 in Charlotte offering free haircuts, Queen City Grounds is offering free coffee, and restaurants including Pure Pizza and Sky Bistro are offering free meals to federal workers and their families with a federal ID.

4th Corner Bakehouse and Coffee Company in Waxhaw is also stepping up.

“It was our decision to just give what we could,"  co-owner Ben Kallenbach said. "We have been blessed with the ability to make great bread and if somebody needs to come in and get something to eat, or to feed their kids especially, I'll give you a loaf of bread. It's really a no-brainer."

Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte says they’ve been able to help federal workers looking for financial assistance, but says the government shutdown expands beyond federal workers.

“Another area of concern for our agency is the 57,000 families who receive food stamps," Chief Marketing Officer Liana Humphrey said. "The February benefits were distributed early over the weekend, so families will have to budget carefully to make the benefits stretch until the end of next month."

At this time, they said they don't know when additional payments will be made.

Concerns over food assistance programs have food banks across the area hosting food drives, urging anyone who can to donate.

“We are bracing for a possible dramatic increase in the number of people that need our services due to the government shutdown," said Tina Postel, executive director of Loaves and Fishes Food Panty in Mecklenburg County. "38 million Americans rely on food stamps."

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