Companies offering freebies, discounts amid shutdown
As more than 800,000 federal workers miss their second paycheck amid the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history, many big brands and business leaders are stepping in to offer a helping hand to the furloughed workers.
On Friday, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon announced in addition to helping customers --who are affected by the shutdown--with overdraft and service fees, he is also donating $1 million to Feeding America and United Way Worldwide to provide meals, financial services and counseling to federal workers.
"We want a reasonable solution to the shutdown and want to see it end immediately. In the meantime, we continue to serve those who need help," Dimon wrote in the release.
Food giants Kraft and Tyson Foods have also been very vocal about helping workers.
On Thursday, Tyson Foods announced it plans to donate 85 tons of food, providing over 685,000 meals to those workers who are in need.
Kraft ran a full-page ad on the back page of Sunday's issue of The Washington Post, calling on other national and local brands to join the efforts in helping federal families.
Last week, as reported by FOX Business, Kraft opened a pop-up grocery store in Washington, D.C., to allow workers to stock up on some of the company’s staples such as its famous mac and cheese mix and other items for free.
But Kraft, Tyson, and JPMorgan Chase aren't the only big companies to step up and offer discounts or freebies over the last several weeks either.
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Here is a list of some other big and small businesses that are chipping in to help and the brands they represent.
Wireless providers: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon
A majority of wireless providers have announced flexible payment options to federal workers.
Big Banks and Creditors
Ally Financial, Bank of America, Better Mortgage, Chase and Discover have all announced assistance programs for workers who are struggling to make ends meet.
Fitness brands
Orangetheory Fitness and Bar Method are among some of the fitness brands offering free workouts to workers.
Homesnap
The national home search platform launched a program to pay the rent or mortgage of 10 lucky government workers or contractors in February who are not being paid during the shutdown.
Marcus by Goldman Sachs
Eligible government employees impacted by the shutdown may be eligible for a payment deferral on their Marcus loans, and savings customers may be eligible to have early withdrawal penalties waived.
Sweetgreen
The healthy fast causal chain announced mid-January that it will giving out free dinner to any federal workers for one weekend.
Taco Cabana
The Texas chain announced it's offering federal workers 20 percent off its entire menu, with a maximum savings of $20.
“Federal employees only need to show valid federal government employee identification issued by a department affected by the shutdown in order to redeem this offer,” the company said in a news release. The offer is valid at all participating locations for dine-in or drive-thru orders and “will continue through the period of the shutdown, unless otherwise announced.”
Brightline