Local bakery spreads nourishment and kindness through government shutdown

OHIO — As anxiety and stress continue to build for federal workers as they go without paychecks and as food banks brace for growing lines, many local community members are sharing acts of kindness and generosity.

Even on a rainy day, sweet smells and thoughtful gestures rise to the occasion inside The Neighborhood Nest.

Amber Tipton owns the gluten-free bakery, and they’ve been in business for more than a decade in Fairborn, Ohio, near Dayton.

The bakery is also just a short drive from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Bakers can accommodate up to 19 different allergies.

If you need something dairy, egg, nut, and soy free, they’ve got you covered.

“We try really hard to just give people back the things that had to be eliminated out of their diet when they had to go gluten free,” Tipton said.

As the government shutdown continues, they’re still giving back.

“We have noticed kind of a drop off in actual shopping but what we have been able to do is offer furloughed families a store credit every week,” Tipton said.

A single person can receive $40 in store credit and a family can receive $60, plus access to the newly created store pantry stocked by customer donations, gift cards and Venmo.

“Nobody is the wiser. They think they’re just shopping. That’s a bigger deal to me, that people maintain dignity,” Tipton said.

“So many families are simply concerned about how they’ll put food on the table for their kids,” said Kara Pappas.

Pappas is the Chief Advancement Officer for the Military Family Advisory Network.

For communities like Dayton, where so many rely on the base for employment, the shutdown is causing tension.

Civilians find themselves furloughed or continue working without a paycheck.

“This is impacting the medical workers on bases, this is impacting child development centers, daycare for military families, it’s impacting school activities, all of these different components that make up the fabric of a military family’s daily life,” Pappas said.

Tipton said the work isn’t over, and if SNAP benefits get put on hold, they’ll be adding SNAP allergy families to their roster.

“There is so little at a food pantry, or at a food bank, that people with allergies can actually eat and not be ill,” she said.

That’s not the only reason helping families hits close to home.

“The looks that people give you when you’re using those or WIC certificates or your EBT card, they act like you’re lazy,” she said.

Tipton remembers when her husband was in college and they had small kids.

He worked part time and she worked two full time jobs just to get by.

“I just want to give back and to give people what we needed when we were struggling but with dignity,” she said.

For more information on the Neighborhood Nest, click here.

If you’re a military family needing help through the Military Family Advisory Network including an emergency food box, click here.