Food pantry in Penrose steps up to help federal employees

The partial government shutdown is into week four and some of the hardest hit communities throughout the entire country are right here in Southern Colorado, especially Florence and Penrose.

Employees at the Florence federal prison have been going without paychecks since the beginning of the shutdown. KRDO was in Florence today, and many people would not speak to the media out of fear that they or their family members could lose their positions.

However, that didn’t stop everyone from voicing their frustration.

“I’m appalled,” said JoElyn Newcomb, a Florence resident who says she has a number of friends working in the federal prison system, all without pay. “There are very seriously dangerous criminals in there. And we have people protecting us that aren’t getting paid.”

The Florence Complex, which includes the nation’s highest-security prison, is one of the largest employers in all of Fremont County. Ever since the federal government stopped issuing checks nearly a month ago, people around here say the economy has taken a serious hit.

“In our community alone, we’re looking at about 3,400 people total just from the government shutdown,” said Amanda Suddoth of My Neighbor’s Cupboard, a food pantry in Penrose.

Over the weekend, My Neighbor’s Cupboard has done its best to feed the families of federal prison employees. They are continuing to help feed these families this week, and with the standstill in Washington, that could be for some time.

“We are here to take care of those that need the help,” said Suddoth. “I want people to remember that normally the federal employees are the ones keeping this pantry going. They kept these shelves stocked, now is the time that we can step up and help them.”

Suddoth says the food pantry is running extremely low on a number of items but especially pet food and gas cards. With the shutdown, gas money is getting more difficult to come by.

If you are looking to help you can do so at the ‘My Neighbor’s Cupboard’ website.