F.C. Restaurants, Businesses, City Government Step Up for Furloughed Workers

By Christopher Jones

With federal employees constituting nearly 9 percent of its workforce, it's not surprising that the City of Falls Church has been particularly hard hit by the federal government shutdown, now in its 28th day, with no clear end in sight. But, it's also not surprising that local restaurants, businesses, and the City Government have stepped up impressively to provide assistance to furloughed federal workers who've stopped receiving their paychecks and, in many cases, have been told they will receive no back pay if and when the shutdown ends.

Not Just a Paycheck

But, it's not just about pay. It's about hunger. With Virginia's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds due to be cut by Nov. 1 – unless the federal government re-opens – finding affordable meals has suddenly become a paramount issue for many furloughed employees or those who've lost their jobs due to the shutdown.

Paying it Forward

On Instagram, Saturday, Oct. 25, local Chef Thomas Harvey of Harvey's restaurant at 513 W. Broad St., posted a heartfelt appeal for followers to help support a multi-part plan to generously assist furloughed federal workers.

"Hey everyone, It’s Chef Thomas Harvey here at Harvey’s in Falls Church, Virginia," he began. "Just wanted to make a quick video and let you know about a couple of promotions we’re going to be making. First, for the government shutdown, on Saturday, October 25, we’re going to start a new promotion for any furloughed employee to come in with your valid ID and we’re going to offer you 25% off any food purchase you make here. And then we’re going to extend it by 1% for every day the shutdown continues. The other promotion we’d like to start is something we’re calling Feed the Furloughed. We’d like to invite anybody to come by — and you can see on our board here, "Feed the Furloughed" [Points to restaurant chalkboard that says "Feed the Furloughed" and marks each day of the government shutdown.] Buy a meal. We’ll put the receipt up here. And then any furloughed government employee can come in with their ID, grab a receipt from this board, bring it up to us, and have a meal purchased for you from somebody in the community." 

"We’d also like to extend this option to any U.S. Senator, Congressman or Congresswoman, to come in, and help these employees that have been furloughed and are not receiving paychecks to find a meal," Harvey said.

"We all believe that nobody deserves to worry about where their next meal is going to come from. And as a community, we all want to come together and help all these people out. We call Falls Church home here at Harvey’s — and we love it — because this community is so wonderful for people. We’ve done many charity events over our short time being open. And this town stands up and helps all of our neighbors, all the community members, anybody in need. One other thing about this, at the end of the shutdown, if there are any meals left over, we will be donating them to Doorways, which is a local women’s shelter here in town. And from Harvey’s, we always want to say thank you and we hope we can all get through this together by sticking together in a sense of community. Thank you all very much."

The next day, Chef Harvey returned to Instagram to post another video to express how bowled over he was by the outpouring of support. "🔔 Falls Church, you never stop showing up. ❤️ On Saturday, someone anonymously donated two $75 Harvey’s gift cards for furloughed workers," the restaurant posted. "We’re giving them away to two furloughed federal employees right here on Instagram. If you’re affected by the shutdown (or know someone who is), tag them or yourself below by Friday at 8pm. Let’s keep feeding the furloughed — together. 💛"

"....I just want to say thank you again for this Feed the Furloughed campaign that’s going on," Chef Harvey said in a posted video. "You all have come out amazingly well on the first day! It’s unbelievable. It has seriously almost driven me to tears how much people really want to help everybody. Last night, I had somebody send me an anonymous email with two $75 gift cards to help out the people who help us, all the wonderful government workers that are all furloughed and are not receiving paychecks. What we’re going to do is we’re going to start a social media campaign and you tag anybody that you know who works for the government and is waiting on a paycheck who is looking for food and they could really use a meal. And these $75 gift certificates will go a long way here. We’re going to randomly pick two people to get this promotion and we just cannot thank the people enough. And you can even see on our board [Points], we have so many meals ready to go and people are coming out. And it is awesome! So please, if you are a furloughed employee and are looking for a meal, come in, grab one of the receipts on the board, and get a meal from somebody in this community, okay? Keep coming in and we’re going to make this great. Thank you all very, very much." 

Meanwhile, Alex Momeni, COO of Moby Dick House of Kabob at 444 W. Broad St., Suite A, took to Instagram on Oct. 27 to announce another generous effort to support furloughed workers. "Hey, Everyone, Alex here with Moby Dick House of Kabob," he began. "With the government shutdown still going on, we at Moby Dick want to make sure we do our part to give back to our loyal customers currently dealing with this situation. That’s why we’re offering free lunch sandwiches for federal employees every weekday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. With the government shutdown, our kitchen steps up! So stop by, grab a sandwich, and let us take care of lunch."

"Sandwiches for the Shutdown – It’s our way of saying thank you to the federal workers who keep our nation moving," the restaurant posted. "Stop by any Moby Dick location between 11 AM–2 PM, show your federal ID to the cashier, and enjoy a free sandwich of your choice on the house."

Everyone's Getting into the Act

Even Falls Church City's local semi-pro soccer club Virginia Dream FC is getting into the act. "Virginia Dream FC will host Guerilla FC (Washington DC) in the third round of the US Open Cup qualifying games on Sunday, November 2 and Federal employees will be admitted free of charge with government ID. Kickoff time is 8pm at “The Cloud” aka Meridian High School Stadium."

Businesses Around the Area

Multiple other local businesses have stepped up for furloughed federal employees and were featured in Arlington Magazine. Here are just a few (besides Harvey's already discussed):

Following are quoted from Arlington Magazine:

Nue Elegantly Vietnamese

Get $5 off cocktails, $3 off glasses of wine and $2 off beer during happy hour. It runs weekdays, 4-6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9:30-11:30 p.m. Mention this Instagram post to get the deal. 944 W. Broad St., Falls Church

Honeygrow

Federal workers can get 20% off their order at this fast-casual chain. It specializes in customizable stir-fry and salad dishes, plus desserts called honeybars. For example, the Brownie Crumble honeybar comes with strawberries, grapes, milk chocolate chips, brownie crumbles, whipped cream and clover honey. A new location opened last week in Falls Church’s Barcroft Plaza. 8399 Leesburg Pike, Vienna (Tysons), and 6464 Lincolnia Road, Falls Church

Bawadi Mediterranean Grill

On Oct. 20, 6-9 p.m., this Falls Church eatery is offering a free dinner buffet to furloughed government workers and their families. 6304 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church

The Toy Nest

Part toy library, part play place, this Falls Church shop is inviting federal workers to bring their children to play for free once a week for one hour on weekdays before 3 p.m. during the government shutdown. Bring your employee ID. 125 N. Washington St., Falls Church

Stellina Pizzeria

Locations of this award-winning local chainlet are offering half off all drinks and all-day happy hour until the shutdown ends. 2800 S. Randolph St., Arlington (Shirlington), 1700 N. Moore St., Arlington (Rosslyn) and 1610 Capital One Drive, Tysons

One More Page Books

The independent bookseller is giving free books and puzzles to community members who are affected by the shutdown. “Stop in for a treat, a hug or a place to chill,” a Facebook post states. 2200 N. Westmoreland St., Arlington (East Falls Church)

Compass Coffee

Founded in 2014 in D.C. by two ex-Marines, this coffee shop with a slew of area locations is giving people with a federal ID a free pastry with their drink order. See website for locations.

Falls Church City Government Steps Up

And, of course, since the first day of the federal government shutdown, the Falls Church City government has been working to support local furloughed federal employees.

Here's the City's list of resources to support those affected by the shutdown:

Resources Supporting Our Local Community

Food Bank Distribution

The Capital Area Food Bank has implemented a food distribution program for federal employees and contractors affected by the ongoing government shutdown.

Each site provides boxes of shelf-stable pantry items and fresh produce while supplies last. Locations and times may change. Check capitalareafoodbank.org/DMV-help for the latest updates during the shutdown.

Federal employees and contractors must show a government work ID to receive food.

Current locations and times (subject to change):

• Tuesdays
  • Noon to 2 p.m. | No Limits Outreach Ministries: 7721 Barlowe Rd, Hyattsville, MD 20785
• Wednesdays
  • 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | So What Else: 6001 Executive Blvd, North Bethesda, MD 20852
• Fridays
  • 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | United Community: 7511 Fordson Rd, Alexandria, VA 22306
  • 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. | Urban Outreach: 5343 C St SE, Washington, DC 20019
• Saturdays
  • 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | LindaBen Foundation: 10739 Tucker St, Beltsville, MD 20705

For additional food assistance options across our partner network, visit capitalareafoodbank.org/DMV-help or call our Hunger Lifeline at (202) 644-9807.

SNAP Benefits

October SNAP benefits are not affected by the federal shutdown and have been distributed as expected. The Virginia Department of Social Services has stated that benefits will lapse starting November 1 if the federal government shutdown is not resolved by October 28. Resources are available if you need food or other financial assistance:

• Basic Needs Assistance (CSP) - call 703-222-0880 (TTY 711) (M-F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
• Emergency Food Access Map
• Department of Family Services
• Health and Human Services

Articles

D.C.-area leaders launch initiative to help laid-off federal workers

Events and Job Fairs

Job Fairs - Virginia Works - Virginia's Workforce Development Agency

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

Dislocated Federal workers and contractors receive employment assistance and services through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

• Orientation Sessions Virtual and in-person sessions are available
• Register for a WIOA Information Session
• Additional information on WIOA

City Opportunities & Resources

Review and apply for roles serving our community through government service across departments.  

• City of Falls Church Human Resources
  • Housing and Human Services Department
  • Brainfuse JobNow: An online job search database offered by the library
  • Fee Reductions: Recreation and Parks Department programs
• Falls Church City Public Schools

State, Regional and Local Resources

There are organizations and further government entities located in Northern Virginia that are recruiting or provide assistance.

• Free food distributions for federal workers and contractors
• Talent Up Northern Virginia - Virginia Career Works Northern Region
• The Pivot. | Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance
• Talent Capital
• Virginia Employment Commission
• A new state-wide resource has launched called, "Virginia Has Jobs" which provides listings of private and public job opportunities. The resource is sectioned by region, including jobs in Northern Virginia.
• For a list of government hiring sites across Northern Virginia, the article “Helping our Neighbors” provides a list of links to local government job sites from Northern Virginia Regional Commission.
• Fed to Founder - Fairfax CORE | Fairfax County, VA
• NOVAnext | Northern Virginia Community College
• Resources for Federal Workers | Virginia Works
• Federal Workforce Transition Resource Guide | Virginia Employment Commission
• Assistance for Residents Affected by Federal Workforce Reductions | Virginia Career Works
• Resources for Impacted Workers | State of Maryland
• Resources for Federal Employees and Other Workers| Montgomery County News and Information
• Help for Residents Affected by Federal Workforce Restructuring | Fairfax County, VA
• Workforce Resources | Arlington, VA
• Transitioning from the Federal Government | Alexandria, VA
• Total Military Community Alliance | NOVA Region

National Resources

• Hiring Our Heroes
• Work for America
• Career Transition Programs: USAJobs
• The Employee’s Guide to Career Transition: OPM
• National Resource Directory (NRD): A database of validated resources that supports recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration for service members, veterans, family members, and caregivers.

The Falls Church Independent welcomes letters-to-the-editor, news tips, opinion pieces, news articles, reviews, short essays or expressive writings, public announcements, and other submissions of interest to our readers. Send submissions to: chris@fallschurchindependent.com.

By Christopher Jones