Kraft Is Opening a Free Grocery Store to Help People Affected By the Government Shutdown

Kraft Opens Free Grocery Store to Help Government Workers

In the midst of the government shutdown, Kraft wants to ensure no family goes without dinner on the table.

Starting on Jan. 16, the company is opening a pop-up grocery store called “Kraft Now Pay Later” in Washington, D.C. to support furloughed government workers impacted by the shutdown.

The store will be open through January 20 at 1287 4th Street NE, in the corner of 4th Street and Neal Place St. Current federal government workers, who have their government ID, will be able to shop and take home a bag full of Kraft products at no cost.

In return, Kraft asks workers to donate to their charity of choice or to someone in need if they can, or once they are able to do so.

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“During the government shutdown, parents should not have to worry about putting dinner on the table because they aren’t receiving a paycheck,” Sergio Eleuterio, head of marketing for Kraft, said in a press release. “Kraft stands for families and we want to support the families who have built our brands. This store is one way we can help those affected get the grocery staples they need. And we celebrate all who are doing their part to help.”

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Similarly, on Monday, chef Jose Andrés announced that his organization World Central Kitchen is opening a kitchen at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. to feed some of the 800,000 people who are currently without income.

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“As you know, World Central Kitchen is always there to respond to any disaster to make sure that Americans and people around the world will not go one day without a plate of food,” Andrés said. “And today we face another type of disaster, emergency, in the United States. More than 800,000 federal workers are without a job. Many millions of Americans are going to go through hard times. And we believe that no person should have to go through the pain of not knowing what to feed the children.”

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Since the shutdown began on December 22, Andrés took action in making sure that all of his restaurants would offer free food to furloughed federal employees, with many other restaurants around the country following suit.

For more information on Kraft’s initiative and a full list of other available support in the DC area click here.