ROANOKE, Va. – There is light at the end of the tunnel for TSA workers waiting nearly a month to receive their first paycheck, as a plan moves forward to fund the Department of Homeland Security. But it will still take some time.
Initiatives like the ROA Care Cupboard have been crucial in helping bridge the gap for expenses during the partial government shutdown for roughly 100 agents at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport.
The impact made by airport staff has been so notable that other airports have reached out for guidance on their distribution setup to get those essential items into the right hands.
“Both good and bad, we now know how to run one of these care cupboards, and I think we all just want to jump in and do something in the beginning. And so we were one of the first to get the word out, and then we’ve been promoting and had amazing media coverage that’s been able to amplify us on a national scale. So glad to share what we’ve learned to airports that’ve reached out, and vice versa. It’s a smaller airport network than you would think, so we’re all sharing back and forth,” Alexa Briehl, Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport public relations and marketing manager, said.
Donations are still being accepted at the airport’s parking office. Whether you are driving by to drop someone off or catching a flight yourself, you can stop by doors four and five to leave items.