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Tag: radha muthiah

  • Free food assistance for furloughed federal workers during shutdown – WTOP News

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    A D.C.-area food bank is stepping in to help furloughed federal workers who are having trouble making ends meet now that they’re missing paychecks.

    A D.C.-area food bank is stepping in to help furloughed federal workers who are having trouble making ends meet now that they’re missing paychecks.

    Starting next week, people can simply show their government I.D. and stock up on free food at Capital Area Food Bank, the organization’s CEO Radha Muthiah said.

    “A box of nutritious shelf stable items, like canned tuna, chicken, pasta, peanut butter, cereals — those kind of things, as well as a box of fresh produce,” Muthiah said.

    There are a total of five pickup locations around the D.C. region that will open starting Tuesday, Oct. 21, and continue operations on a weekly basis throughout the duration of the government shutdown.

    Here’s where to find the pickup locations:

    Tuesday
    Noon — 2 p.m.
    No Limits Outreach Ministries
    7721 Barlowe Rd, Hyattsville, Maryland 20785

    Wednesday
    10 a.m. — 11:30 a.m.
    So What Else
    6116 Executive Blvd, North Bethesda, Maryland 20852

    Friday
    11 a.m. — 1 p.m.
    United Community
    7511 Fordson Rd, Alexandria, Virginia 22306

    11 a.m. — 1:30 p.m.
    Urban Outreach
    5343 C St SE, D.C. 20019

    Saturday
    1 — 2:30 p.m.
    LindaBen Foundation
    10739 Tucker St, Beltsville, Maryland 20705

    In the first week, Muthiah said the organization will be able to help about 150 families at each of the sites. She said the food bank may be able to ramp up efforts further if the need is greater.

    “We get a sense of how long the lines are there, and we also will know about people calling in to ask us about those sites,” she said.

    Capital Area Food Bank’s Hunger Report 2025 found that 36% of residents in the D.C. area struggled to put food on the table at some point in the last year. Among households affected by reductions to federal jobs and spending, the figure jumped even higher to 41%.

    While all of the food intended for distribution will be bought by the food bank, Muthiah said that any help is greatly appreciated.

    “Every dollar that’s contributed by someone that can make that contribution is equivalent to two meals that we can provide,” she said.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kyle Cooper

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  • DC-area food bank bracing for prolonged shutdown – WTOP News

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    Federal job cuts are already putting an increased demand on the Capital Area Food Bank. A government shutdown figures to ratchet that up even more.

    It’s been years since a government shutdown happened, but recent DOGE cuts have already impacted the Capital Area Food Bank. A prolonged shutdown is only going to increase the pressure there.

    It was just last week that the food bank released its 2025 Hunger Report, showing that over 40% of laid-off federal workers and contractors in the region were dealing with food insecurity. It was facing the possibility of being asked to assist with providing millions of more meals every year.

    Now, demand could spike even sooner than that.

    “When there is a government shutdown, there are many federal government workers at income levels that don’t give them that much of a financial cushion if they’re supporting families,” Capital Area Food Bank CEO Radha Muthiah said. “So we know that a sudden loss of income could also mean a sudden inability to put food on the table.”

    The last time the government shut down in 2018, local feds went more than a month without pay. Calls for help started coming in after the first paycheck was missed and demand for food assistance increased as week two turned into an eventual five-week lapse.

    “We had different pop-ups across the region … focused in areas where we knew there was a higher density of federal government workers, and we were out there twice a week at five or six different locations across the region, providing food to those who needed it,” Muthiah said.

    “The first week, I remember when we had the special pop-up distributions, we may have had 100 or so people in line,” she added. “But by the second or third distribution, these were hundreds of individuals.”

    Now, Muthiah said, with many speculating that this current shutdown will be prolonged, they’re bracing for a repeat of that. The goal is to start preparing now so that if paychecks are missed, they’ll be able to start holding similar pop-up giveaways again.

    “Our philosophy is that to be ready, we have to stay ready, which is why we’re continuously monitoring events that could impact our region so that we can respond quickly,” she said. “Our partners already know who they are, and we have plans to get the additional food to them in about two weeks, and then for as long as it takes until the government reopens.”

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    John Domen

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  • Federal job cuts, inflation increasing hunger around DC region – WTOP News

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    A growing number of people are experiencing food insecurity in the D.C. area, according to the Capital Area Food Bank’s annual Hunger Report released Thursday.

    The D.C. region has seen a big increase in job losses thanks to federal cuts, but even those who have a job haven’t seen their wages keep up with inflation.

    And now there are fears that further cuts to the social safety net will only increase what’s already a growing number of people going hungry in the D.C. region.

    The Capital Area Food Bank put out its annual Hunger Report on Thursday and the stats paint a disconcerting picture, with reasons to think what’s already a bad situation could get worse. And it comes with a warning, if not a plea, for already strapped local governments to be ready to offer help in the future.

    “After a large jump in 2024, food insecurity remains at troublingly elevated levels,” said Sabrina Tadele, director of strategic initiatives with Capital Area Food Bank. “Specifically, 36% of households in the DMV are now experiencing food insecurity.”

    The numbers span from one in five households in Arlington, Virginia, to as many as about half of all households in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

    The numbers are essentially the same as last year when factoring the margin of error, but 4% higher compared to 2023.

    In addition, when the survey was done in May, it found 41% of those who lost their jobs during the federal purging of jobs and contracting positions were dealing with some level of food insecurity. Those behind the survey said they believe that number has changed in the past four months.

    The findings come at a time when wage growth has lagged inflation to a significant degree around the region.

    “Forty percent of adults, that’s up from 35% last year, said they were in a worse financial position than they were the year prior,” said Hilary Salmon, the food bank’s marketing director. “That means that household purchasing power has taken a major hit, especially for low income families. The dollars simply aren’t stretching as far.”

    The food bank’s CEO, Radha Muthiah, said hunger continues to be a persistent problem around the D.C. area.

    “We’re likely to have to increase the amount of food that we distribute by a good five to 10 million meals a year,” she said.

    CLICK TO ENLARGE: A chart showing food secure adults in the D.C. region. (WTOP/John Domen)

    Meeting that number will be difficult.

    “Given that we have a retraction in the level of federally provided benefits through SNAP and Medicaid and through sources of food that we may receive … we’re going to have to increase our purchasing of food to be able to meet the needs of our community,” she said.

    Muthiah said the food bank will lean on local governments to keep people on government assistance and help the food bank distribute those meals.

    The survey found that minorities, women, people responsible for children, and people who work multiple jobs are more likely to be considered food insecure, which is defined as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.

    Food insecurity has already led many to dip into their savings to make ends meet, make only minimum payments on credit cards, and put off saving for the future, either with retirement or college savings accounts. In fact, credit card delinquencies are up 25 to 50% around the region, varying by county.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    John Domen

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