Ballard residents and Ballard Food Bank offer help to furloughed workers

Meghan Walker Ballard

In the midst of the longest government shutdown in history (24 days, so far), the Ballard Food Bank is reminding furloughed workers that they can use their services. And, individual Ballard residents are offering to cook meals for affected families.

“We have no needs determination, so it’s great for people needing short-, as well as long-term help,” Ballard Food Bank worker Elizabeth Henyey posted on the My Ballard Group.

“We have a great selection of everything from pet food to flowers, meat, produce, staples, breads, desserts, dairy, baby food and supplies and personal items. This can get you through. We welcome everyone. We also have resource help for rent, utilities, legal, and health,” Henyey said. “There is plenty of food to go around.”

Another My Ballard Group member offered to personally help feed affected families. Roland Rodriguez posted the below message to the group last week:

“If any of you are federal employees not receiving a paycheck due to the government shutdown, please send me a direct message. I don’t care what your political stance is or who you voted for. My family will feed your family breakfast and lunch for as many of you as we can support as often as we can.”

Rodriguez said he had dozens of responses from those wanting to help, but as of yesterday, hadn’t heard from anyone in need.

“For those of you who believe that our community extends well beyond the borders of Ballard, I’ll reach out to you as I spread my offer further into Seattle,” Rodriguez wrote in a follow-up post. “There are plenty of families affected by this shutdown here in the Pacific Northwest, and I’m working on how best to find and direct assistance to them.”

The food bank is open Monday to Thursday; click here for hours.

 

31 thoughts to “Ballard residents and Ballard Food Bank offer help to furloughed workers”

  1. Imagine how much more resources they would have for real families in need if they weren’t using much of it on junkie hobos and unrepentant drifter ingrates.

  2. Look, not to be a complete asshole but these folks so far have missed one paycheck and their whole world is coming apart?Let’s not forget that they will be getting their back pay when this is over, some will be forever grateful, others not so much.

    Everyone and their brother is getting inline to get something free and to make matters worse, business are jumping on the bandwagon to hand out crappy food for nothing more than PR.

    Where is all the free stuff to people that really need it on a daily basis, no I’m not talking about the POS hanging around here but the people that really need it.

    This is just another dog and pony to make people feel better about themselves and has nothing to do with actually helping others.

      1. Perhaps you’re right, however in my 40 plus years in the work adult force I have had many times that I missed a check or two and guess what, no one was paying me back. No one came to my rescue and said “look how much I care”. I truly hope you fine folks find the utopia you’re looking for and stop breaking you’re arms patting yourselves on the back with your misinformed social justice.

        2. Why does it always come to someone sharing their example of X and how they got through it somehow justifying not helping someone in need? For once can you stop thinking about yourself and consider other people and their suffering? When all of the money, products, and bullshit are stripped away you’re left with one thing: People. People matter.

          As a side note: I imagine when you were in that position you knew what the uncertainty of being able to afford to live felt like. Why after experiencing that would you wish that upon others?

    2. Insanity, you are exactly correct.

      So expect to be insulted, even threatened, and told to “kill yourself” etc for stating this obvious truth here in Opposite Land. See SurlyAF’s response for example: no rebuttal, no argument, just juvenile dehumanizing “clueless and heartless”.

      But that said, NOTICE I DID NOT DEMAND ZHE BE BANNED because I disagree with them. This is the difference, Democrats, this is the difference these days. You guys are the Puritanical Speech and Sex Police now. Enjoy how history treats your corporate social justice trend.

          1. Thank you for all that your internet trolling has done for small business, public safety, and the quality of life here in Seattle.

          2. “Thank you for all that your internet trolling has done for small business, public safety, and the quality of life here in Seattle.”

            You’re welcome. I have done my best to convince local leaders across the city to keep taxes as low as possible and fight the surging crime and tent encampments. Unfortunately, people like you have forced us all to live in this mess while paying top dollar. Thanks!

      1. Liberals in 90s: Govt is evil USA is evil burn it all. USA is fascist etc blah blah hey dad need more money for weed

        Liberals during shutdown: Omg it’s the worst thing ever these 60k DMV-quality hires in EVERY STATE must not miss a paycheck!

        1. Get a life, troll. I’ve got a lot more respect for government workers than I do for shut-ins who only spend their time spewing nonsense online.

          2. One can not give a rebuttal if there’s nothing of substance in your posts to rebut in the first place.

            The More You Know
            ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈★

    4. Look, not to be a complete asshole but these folks so far have missed one paycheck and their whole world is coming apart?

      Something like 80% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck (2017 study by CareerBuilder). So at some point, you have to stop your delusional solution of blaming them. Not to mention, it’s looking very likely that they are going to miss a second paycheck.

      Blaming wage suppression, deterioration of unions and employee rights and offshoring instead would make you seem more of a rational person, but that rational posts, with facts, isn’t really your MO.

      So congrats on being one of the 20% that don’t live paycheck to paycheck. That doesn’t mean you get to dump on the other 80% though.

      1. Ok Truth, you win. I’m stupid and you are smart, I don’t know what I’m talking about and you have all the answers, I am in awe of your masterful handling of differing opinions and view points. So glad you called me out, otherwise people might actually look into my statements and spur critical thought. So glad you are here to keep me in line, thank you.

        1. Ok Truth, you win. I’m stupid and you are smart, I don’t know what I’m talking about and you have all the answers, I am in awe of your masterful handling of differing opinions and view points. So glad you called me out, otherwise people might actually look into my statements and spur critical thought. So glad you are here to keep me in line, thank you.

          Please explain how do my responses to your comments prevent people from looking at your statements and spurring critical thought? Are you blaming my responses for the fact that your original comments are pure, unfounded garbage?

          One of your biggest problems is that once someone refutes your statements, your response isn’t to continue intelligent discourse, instead you start attacking the responders and completely derail whatever the original topic was. That means that even if you are able to muster up a well through out comment, that is actually true, nobody cares, because they are so used to your typical garbage spewing.

          In the end, all you can muster up is a “poor me!” snowflake attitude, like the comment I’m responding to. Very Gollum-esque, but standard for your typical neighborhood blog troll.

  3. This is a beautiful effort. Thank you to everyone pitching in to help furloughed workers, and to Ballard Food Bank for always being there for our neighbors in need. The wealth gap in our neighborhood is disheartening.

  4. I work for myself. I have no unemployment insurance. I have no hammock to relax back in and have barely worked the last 2 months. Christmas sucked this year, as I was cash poor. No TV stations have called. No newspapers have called either, attempting to use me as fodder. Nothing new with the biz I’m in, but I plan ahead for rainy days. This to me is the pure whining of America, a once great country. How the F would most survive WW2 today for Christs sakes?

    1. Cool story bro!

      Consider for a second that everyone has their own story. Consider that your story might be different than someone else’s story. Good on you that you have been able to “plan ahead”, but maybe everyone else hasn’t had the ability to do the same? Maybe others have suffered hardships that you nor I have, and are at a point where they do actually need help? If you truly want to understand how or why someone might need this kind of assistance, it’s simple enough to ask someone in the food bank line about their story. Oh, but It takes much less effort to just judge others based on your own story.

      1. What a huge load of psychobabble pal. You see, people like us are threats to people like you and more liberals, as we don’t need them, their programs and will NEVER be voting for them. Luck is actually where my preparation meets opportunity. You’ve simply been conditioned here and your incessant ramblings are pure gobble D gook. Working for government and teaching means you always will get paid, no matter what. You always have a gig too. Comparing them or anybody to me is BS. Perhaps if there were more “me’s” out there we’d all be better off, not needing government or bitching all the time. Most, if not all limitations ARE self-inflicted too. March 4th finds me @ 17 years now. I raised a now 30 year old daughter alone, without any government in the way.

        1. You are no threat to me at all, so get over yourself. You actually just sound whiny, pathetic, self-absorbed and clueless. It’s actually possible to be self-sufficient and not be whiny, pathetic, self-absorbed and clueless.

          Seriously, you are angry about a private not-for-profit food bank for offering food to people in need? It doesn’t get any more sad and pathetic than that.

    2. We wouldn’t my friend and that’s the sad commentary on modern american life. I could wax nostalgic regarding pride and honor or the lack of with the young men today. However that would be construed as “toxic masculinity and sexist rhetoric”.

      We are doomed, we just don’t know yet.

    3. @Paintking
      Get a federal job. They will hire you quickly.
      Wait, you are “diversity” aren’t you?
      No?
      Well too bad, sorry! Just keep paying taxes for refugees and junkies, you hateful Deplorable.

      Remember it’s hateful to not want sex ed in schools (which we pay for) but it is also hateful to ask why people don’t use condoms after years of warnings in public schools. So pay up for all those kids who aren’t yours and watch some sportsball like a good citizen.

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