LISTEN: Many federal employees missed their first full paycheck last week. As the government shutdown enters its fifth week, many are turning to aid from charitable organizations to make ends meet. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated 10:13 a.m. Oct. 29 with clarifications about food bank supply.
Furloughed federal workers in Georgia are entering the fifth week of the government shutdown. Without a paycheck, many are turning to aid from charitable organizations to make ends meet.
At a church in Stockbridge, south of Atlanta, the night of Oct. 24, 2025, cars lined up waiting for a hot meal. Inside were couples, singles and families.
The food drive, organized by the Henry County NAACP, was for Atlanta’s federal workers. Thousands of employees who work in airport security, at national parks for the judicial system and in public health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been furloughed.
Hosting the food drive to help was a collective effort, said Henry County NAACP president Candace Walker.
“Mayor Vincent of McDonough, she gave collard greens,” Walker said. “And Mayor Ford of Stockbridge, he gave canned goods for the grocery bags.”
Volunteers included several historically Black sororities, the pastor of Mount Olive Church in Stockbridge and local business owners.
Out in the parking lot, after receiving her plate of chicken and classic Southern sides, Karen Smith said she’s disappointed the shutdown has gone on this long. Smith, who did not want to name her employer, said this isn’t her first shutdown but she called it “the worst” so far, because she feels lawmakers are unwilling to collaborate.
“Whereas in previous, they've come together, they sat at the table ... they burn the midnight oil,” Smith said. “At least you know they were working on it.”
Smith hopes Congress can reach a deal before she has to take part-time work to make ends meet.
“Do you remember Game of Thrones, where 'Winter is coming?'” Smith said. "So, for me, November is coming."
If Congress cannot agree on a spending bill, November also marks a pause on new SNAP benefits for over a million Georgians. The Georgia Department of Human Services, which oversees the program, said in a statement Friday that SNAP beneficiaries can continue buying food with their EBT cards until Nov. 1 but after that, they won’t receive their monthly benefits as expected.
Across Georgia’s food banks, pressure is mounting and preparations are underway for a spike in demand.
Julie Bryant Kuykendall of Feeding Georgia, the advocacy arm for the state’s big seven member food banks, said supply this year has been challenged as food banks manage gaps in federal assistance.
“As we weather this current crisis and work to make sure our neighbors have enough food on the table, we're going to need that full community support,” she said. “We've been asking donors for more support to purchase food, to fill in the gaps in supply.”
Monetary donations can go further than donations of canned food. Food banks have missed out on thousands of dollars this year because of budget and staffing cuts to programs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Food purchased by the USDA represents about a quarter of Feeding Georgia’s food bank stock and that reliance goes up in rural areas that have less access to donations from retailers or other avenues.
Kuykendall said cuts to November benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program could create additional needs beyond what food banks are able to meet.
Elsewhere, Transportation Security Administration workers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have been promised vouchers from to cover meals and parking.
Also, federal employees in Georgia who apply for unemployment insurance will have to pay benefits back once they start getting paid again, according to the Georgia Department of Labor, which is offering some training and job support assistance, too.
At the Oct. 24 food drive, another federal employee and public health worker who asked to remain anonymous estimated she has about a month's worth of living expenses left in her savings account.
“I take care of my 87-year-old mother, and I am about to start DoorDash next week to supplement my income,” she said.
“This is the U.S. and this shouldn't be happening, and that's just my take on it.”
An earlier version of this story read: Julie Bryant Kuykendall of Feeding Georgia, the advocacy arm for the state’s big seven member food banks, said supply is stable, for now.
