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Kraft opens free grocery store for unpaid workers during government shutdown

Workers with any valid government ID can take home a bag of groceries filled with Kraft products.
/ Source: TODAY

Kraft Foods wants to make sure that government workers currently on furlough during the shutdown do not go hungry.

On Tuesday, the food corporation announced it will open a pop-up store in Washington, D.C., from Jan. 16 through Sunday, Jan. 20, that will provide free food to government workers who can present the appropriate identification. The store is located at 1287 4th Street NE, two blocks from Union Market.

Kraft's macaroni and cheese
Kraft is opening a pop-up store in D.C. to feed furloughed government workers.Kraft Heinz

"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."

Among the foods and condiments on offer are the brand's ever-popular macaroni and cheese, American cheese singles, salad dressings, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce.

Kraft's macaroni and cheese
Workers can pick up some free macaroni and cheese.Getty Images

Kraft is asking that unpaid workers pay it forward in the future and donate to their charity of choice, once they are receiving paychecks again.

More information about the store and the event can be found here, on Kraft's "Kraft Now. Pay Later." Facebook page. Several other food banks offering help are also listed at the Facebook page, and here are five ways you can help federal workers during this longest-ever government shutdown.

But, of course, big brands are not the only ones helping out unpaid laborers. On Monday, chef José Andrés announced that his World Central Kitchen has opened a kitchen at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., to help feed some of the 800,000 people who are not receiving paychecks during the government shutdown, which started Dec. 22, 2018.

Currently, all of his restaurants around the country are offering free food to furloughed federal workers, and plenty of other restaurants have also joined in.