By CCN.com: A GoFundMe campaign to assist federal workers affected by the ongoing government shutdown has reached its $200,000 funding goal barely three days after it was launched. Organized by GoFundMe CEO Rob Solomon in partnership with author and motivational speaker Deepak Chopra, the campaign was organised to help affected workers with basics like food and household supplies.

Funds raised by the GoFundMe campaign are set to be shared across nonprofits who are supporting affected staff including #ChefForFeds led by José Andrés who has been feeding thousands of federal staff in Washington DC, and the National Diaper Network who are providing diapers to parents who the shutdown has affected. Solomon says more nonprofits will be added to the list as the GoFundMe campaign grows.

In the campaign statement, Solomon said:

Your donation will be distributed to several nonprofit organizations across the country offering direct assistance to government workers. These nonprofits are doing important work, providing hot meals, necessary counseling, and housing relief. I encourage everyone to support them.

The US Government Shutdown

Government workers in the United States have had to work without pay since December 24, 2018, in what is now the longest shutdown in the history of the United States. About 420,000 essential staff have had to work without pay from the beginning of the shutdown, with an additional 50,000 staff called back by President Donald Trump on January 15th.

While Congress has passed a bill which will ensure federal workers are reimbursed after the shutdown ends, this, unfortunately, does not extend to contract workers even though they still have to work. The shutdown has so far affected economic growth as experts suggest that for every week the government remains shut down, economic growth drops by at least .13 percent.

Trump is asking for a $5.7 billion funding provision in the budget to permit the construction of a wall on the country’s southern border with Mexico. The Democrat-controlled house, however, is not willing to budge, saying that the wall is not necessary, but they would be willing to approve $1 billion to boost security patrols and devices at the border.

CCN.com reported earlier today that President Donald Trump stated that there will be “No Cave” in his border wall funding demand which led to the impasse that has created the shutdown.

The GoFundMe campaign is the latest effort to rally support for furloughed federal workers at a time when a number of retailers are currently offering free services and products to affected government workers.