GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — In a warehouse parking lot on the grounds of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, Feeding America West Michigan set up shop on Thursday.

A semi-truck carrying 15,000 pounds of food, from milk to mushrooms, carried the cargo for a distribution event. The organization’s goal is to make sure no one in West Michigan goes hungry.

Among those in line was a group of people Feeding America never thought they’d have to help: federal government employees.

“It’s unique that we’re serving a population here that’s not getting a paycheck for (a) shutdown reason. That’s a new one for us,” said Feeding America West Michigan President and CEO Ken Estelle.

About 200 federal workers are assigned to the airport, from the TSA to the FAA to U.S. Customs and the National Weather Service.

None of them are getting paid.

Many have families to feed.

“We’re hanging in there. I mean, it’s tough,” said TSA Agent Chad Henry, who has a wife and two young kids at home.

Nearly six weeks into the shutdown, federal workers are approaching their second pay period without receiving paychecks.

While they’ll get back pay when the shutdown ends, the news out of Washington doesn’t generate a lot of confidence that it will end anytime soon.

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Henry said the situation is impacting things at home.

“They’re starting to get real tight,” Henry said. “Starting to wonder, ya know, what are we going to do to pay the bills?”

Henry, who along with his fellow TSA agents are still required to report to work during the shutdown, are on the front lines of air travel safety.

It’s a stressful job, but nothing like the prospect of not getting paid to do the work.

“It’s a stress full job. It’s manageable,” Henry said. “But this is just a whole different type of stress, knowing, ya know, what we are going to do tomorrow to pay the bills and have gas to get back and forth to work?”

If there’s a bright spot in all of this, it’s that despite the failure by those in Washington to find a compromise that would end the shutdown, the public hasn’t forgotten the people stuck in the middle.

“The generosity of the community with this, and also we have had lots of donations at the airport for food, gift cards. The generosity of the community is just amazing,” Henry said.

Feeding America is planning other food distribution events for federal workers elsewhere in the state. For more information, go to feedwm.org.