In the back room of a real estate agent's office in Chesapeake, Virginia, "the three Navy wives", as they're known, stack tins of beans, tuna and tomatoes, setting up a makeshift supermarket.

Key points: Members of the US Coastguard have gone more than 30 days without being paid

Members of the US Coastguard have gone more than 30 days without being paid The wives of Navy sailors who are still being paid have organised goods to be donated to Coastguard families

The wives of Navy sailors who are still being paid have organised goods to be donated to Coastguard families On Thursday, the US Senate will vote on two bills to end the shutdown

Kayla, Jessica and Tara are all married to Navy sailors, who are all still getting paid by the Department of Defence during the long-running US government shutdown.

They're here to support the "Coasties"; members of the US Coastguard which is unfunded because it's paid for by the Department of Homeland Security.

The goods are donated, and Kayla Scott says the response has been huge.

"Our Facebook messages have blown up with; 'How can I help?', 'What can I do for you?', 'What do you need?'" she says.

"'Do you have storage for meat?' 'Can I bring milk on Saturday?'"

The three women are trying to set the food pantry up to look like a supermarket, so the families in need can pick and choose from food, nappies and toiletries, rather than being handed a pre-sorted hamper.

In this community, many Coastguard families have young children looked after by a stay-at-home parent, so they're entirely reliant on that income.

In a similar act of goodwill, Roger Williams University offered free dinner for US Coastguard families in Rhode Island. ( AP: Jennifer McDermott )

Having been unpaid for more than 30 days things are getting very tight.

"That interpersonal connection that people were creating, and finding out more than people were prepared to write on a piece of registration paper," Jessica says, was something that became apparent when the pantry opened last weekend.

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That's something that warrants a personal connection being offered by two wives of Coastguard staff who are on active duty.

Karian Martinez and Catalina Hernandez are both volunteering at the pantry despite having worries about providing for their own families.

"I'm a Coastguard spouse as well," Ms Martinez says.

"I know how difficult it is to come here and take help from other people so what we do is help them to shop around and make them feel comfortable."

Ms Hernandez agrees.

"These people don't know how they're going to afford their mortgages this month or next month," she says.

"They don't know how they're going to afford their co-payments and cell phone bills and food for their kids and everything else."

Coastguard wives Karian Martinez and Catalina Hernandez are volunteering despite concerns about their own families. ( ABC News: John Mees )

Competing shutdown compromises expected to fail

On Thursday (local time), the Senate will vote on two competing bills that could end the shutdown.

One is backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and would fund President Donald Trump's border wall and reopen government.

That bill reflects the President's weekend proposal, offering temporary protections for young, undocumented immigrants in exchange for $US5.7 billion for the wall.

The other vote will be on House-passed legislation backed by Democrats to reopen shuttered parts of the Government without providing new funding for the wall.

Both proposals would need 60 votes to advance and are expected to fail at this point.

The President is under increasing pressure to resolve the stalemate with a new CBS News poll showing 66 per cent in favour of him ending the shutdown without the border wall funding.

Among the federal workers who took to the Capitol to vent frustration today was catering worker Venorica Taylor.

"In my opinion, it's looking like a depression. It's looking like you're going to have to stand in the soup line for food," she said.

"And while I like the idea that people are willing to help, at the same time I am a person who wants to work for my own and right now that's not an opportunity that I have."

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Back down on the Chesapeake, union representative Shawn Burns from the Chief Petty Officers' Association, who is also an active duty Coastguard staffer, says he's been counselling young members.

"There's always the question of why did I join this service?" he says.

"When all I want to do is good to others or help others, serve others, protect others?"

Chief Petty Officers' Association union representative for Chesapeake Shawn Burns says he's been counselling young members. ( ABC News: John Mees )

Mr Trump declared he planned to deliver his State of the Union speech next week anyway, but he was blocked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who said not until the shutdown's over, Mr President.

"She has said let's cancel (the SOTU address) for the first time in this country," he says.

"It's a disgrace."

She does have the right to prevent him from taking the dais.

"It's a sad thing for our country. We'll do something as an alternative, will let you know more at a later date," Mr Trump told reporters.

He's not the only one who's frustrated.

"I think for me as a wife, what is more difficult is seeing my husband go to work every morning and not complaining at all," Karian Martinez says, with tears in her eyes.

"This morning he just told me, 'I will do this with pay or no pay; I know how important it is.'"