My 2 Cents: Oklahoma Furloughed Workers Thankful For Help

I have to admit I was taken aback when I walked into the Oklahoma Expo Hall out at the State Fairgrounds. The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma set up a distribution center to assist furloughed federal workers. Amanda and I were there for an hour and a half,

Tuesday, January 22nd 2019, 11:51 pm

By: News 9


I have to admit I was taken aback when I walked into the Oklahoma Expo Hall out at the State Fairgrounds. The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma set up a distribution center to assist furloughed federal workers. 

Amanda and I were there for an hour and a half, and it was a steady stream of federal workers, some with their families.

Remember these are people who have jobs, good jobs, many of them are still going to work every day, but they haven't gotten a paycheck in a month. And it looks like they won't get their next one either.

Several told us they've donated to the Regional Food Bank or volunteered there, but never thought they'd need the help themselves.

It's humbling, that's the word we kept hearing. So much so, when we first got there one woman walked through our bread line, she couldn't talk, but had a tear running down her cheek.

We saw people from the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affair, El Reno Federal Prison, many from the Federal Aviation Administration and TSA.

We report on the shutdown every day, and we see the video of the furloughed workers just like you do, but when your face to face with these folks, it's different. 

I expected to see anger, I didn't.  Sure, there was frustration. But more than anything else, they were grateful to the Food Bank and the 250 volunteers there to help them.

I'm Kelly Ogle and that's My 2 Cents.  

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