The partial government shutdown has forced many federal employees to continue to work without pay in what is now the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Some San Diego businesses and non-profits are working alongside national companies to offer relief to impacted workers. Here is an overview of those helping out.
Food
Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is providing groceries, including non-perishables and produce, to families affected by the shutdown. Those seeking temporary assistance and have a federal ID card can go to the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Campus located at 8788 Balboa Avenue in Kearny Mesa. Food will be distributed every Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. until the shutdown ends.
“As a community with a lot of federal government employees and contractors, plus multiple military bases, we are committed to stepping up our food assistance efforts to help furloughed or unpaid workers during these challenging times,” said JFS CEO Michael Hopkins. “By offering supplemental groceries, we hope to ease the burden for affected workers and their families.”
Yelp San Diego is teaming up with nearly a dozen businesses to provide a free luncheon to hundreds of federal workers on Jan. 23. The event will take place at the San Diego Air and Space Museum from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Workers must RSVP on Yelp’s event page.
"Instant clap back of 'Yeah, we want in,' 'We want to help,' the generosity was overwhelming," said Danny Wurst with Yelp’s San Diego Community Management Team. "It’s just such a weird time right now and there’s a lot of people struggling so we just wanted to use our community as a resource to really help those who are really in need."
Local
Banks
Cabrillo Credit Union is offering a Payroll Assurance Loan (PAL). Members who sign up for PAL will receive a line of credit equal to the amount of your last paycheck, up to $5,000.
Cal Coast Credit Union will offer special relief programs to Cal Coast members who are federal employees. They are offering a 90-day personal loan for the amount of the member's last net payroll or they can choose a 90-day loan payment deferral for existing Cal Coast Loans.
Wells Fargo will work with "individuals and business banking customers whose income is disrupted as a result of the shutdown.” For more information visit its website.
Bank of America is providing client assistance tailored to customer needs. You can call or schedule an appointment with a specialist. Visit its website for more information.
Non-profit Organizations
San Diego Humane Society offered free pet food to federal employees Monday in three of their campuses across the county, Escondido, Oceanside, and San Diego. The group provided two bags of pet food for any federal workers and their families.
The Balboa Park Carousel and the Friends of Balboa Park will offer free rides to furloughed federal employees and their families for as long as the shutdown continues. Just show your federal employee identification for free admission for you and up to three guests.
Local Businesses
Punchbowl Social is offering a 25 percent discount on all food, beverage, and games to any federal employees impacted by the shutdown. To receive the discount, just show a government ID card to the server prior to ordering.
D3 Home San Diego, a retail store located in Little Italy, will donate a $50 Von's gift card to support a furloughed worker for every $1,000 spent on any products in their store.
The Salvation Army San Diego announced it has resources available for federal workers. Help such as emergency assistance with utility bills, rental assistance and groceries or meals. To access these resources, those in need can visit their website.
Sports
The San Diego Sockers will host Furloughed Workers Night during its Jan. 20th game. All federal employees and contractors can receive free tickets. The tickets can also allow accompanying children under the age of eight. Any additional tickets within the government worker's group can be bought at a discounted rate of $12. The Sockers will face off against Turlock Express at Pechanga Arena San Diego at 5:05 p.m.
“So many families in our community are suffering right now, and it is our goal to knock down the wall between making ends meet and treating the family to a fun night out,” said Sockers Chief Marketing Officer Craig Elsten.
The Harlem Globetrotters will offer free tickets to all furloughed workers. The Globetrotters have games in San Diego this February.
“As the Ambassadors of Goodwill, we want to show our support to all those government workers whose paychecks, and by extension, their families, are directly impacted,” said Globetrotter President Howard Smith.
Furloughed workers can receive their two complimentary tickets at the box office by showing their government ID, while supplies last.
To view dates for games visit their website.
Cell Phone Companies
T-Mobile is providing flexible payment support options to customers, including deferring payments or spreading payments out over time.
AT&T is helping workers impacted by the shutdown by offering flexible payments.
Verizon launched a Promise to Pay program, which allows customers to set a future payment date via their application.
To view more companies that are offering assistance click here.
