Everyday people are improvising stopgap efforts to support their communities through the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Whether feeding hungry families or maintaining local museum tours, volunteers nationwide are strengthening social ties that they hope will continue making their neighbors whole in the face of persistent precarity.
PHOTO ESSAY: Photos of Venezuelan migrants who returned home following US immigration crackdownAfter mistaken deportation, US asks judge to let it send Kilmar Abrego Garcia to LiberiaSupreme Court rejects call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwideNo.
1 Houston leapfrogs Purdue in AP Top 25 despite fewer first-place votes; Arizona up to No. 5Black hat worn by the Wicked Witch of the West in 'The Wizard of Oz' is going up for auctionWhile Trump threatens controllers, US flight cancellations will drag on even after shutdown endsAn elephant family smashed pumpkins at the Oregon Zoo. But this baby just wanted to play ballAh, rats! Researchers say some other critter likely created Chicago's 'rat hole' sidewalk landmarkThe cold truth is you may not know the best way to use a refrigeratorYes, you do need to clean your water bottle. Here's why and howMeteorologists warn of 'intense' snow in Great Lakes states and record lows in SouthThe FDA removes a long-standing warning from hormone-based menopause drugsCanada loses measles elimination status after ongoing outbreaksDenmark's government aims to ban access to social media for children under 15Calisthenics are making a comeback. Is body weight enough to get a good workout?JD Vance hopes his Hindu wife converts to Christianity, sparking debate on interfaith marriageCancelaciones de vuelos en EEUU seguirían incluso después del cierre. Trump amenaza a controladoresTrump threatens to sue BBC over edited speech that sparked resignations by news bossesThe Afternoon WireArctic air hits much of the US, bringing snow to some areas and very chilly temperatures to FloridaThese 8 senators broke with Democrats on the government shutdown deal. Here's how they explain itGiants coach Brian Daboll fired with team at 2-8 midway through his 4th seasonAP Entertainment WireA vintage car graveyard in western Germany, in photosGiant, floating pumpkin races draw large crowds to annual event in OregonCalisthenics are making a comeback. Is body weight enough to get a good workout?There are more than 100 autoimmune diseases, and they mostly strike women. Here's what to knowIs spending all day on your feet at work an occupational hazard?Meteorologists warn of 'intense' snow in Great Lakes states and record lows in SouthThe FDA removes a long-standing warning from hormone-based menopause drugsCanada loses measles elimination status after ongoing outbreaksDenmark's government aims to ban access to social media for children under 15Calisthenics are making a comeback. Is body weight enough to get a good workout?JD Vance hopes his Hindu wife converts to Christianity, sparking debate on interfaith marriageCancelaciones de vuelos en EEUU seguirían incluso después del cierre. Trump amenaza a controladoresVolunteers at the San Antonio Food Bank load bags of potatoes for a food distribution for SNAP recipients and other households affected by the federal shutdown, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in San Antonio. Volunteer Angus Hsigh helps a military member during a Feeding San Diego food distribution for military families affected by the federal shutdown Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Oceanside, Calif. Volunteer Karen Robinson moves groceries durning an emergency food distribution at The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Mitzvah Food Program in Philadelphia, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Volunteers at the San Antonio Food Bank load bags of potatoes for a food distribution for SNAP recipients and other households affected by the federal shutdown, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in San Antonio. Volunteers at the San Antonio Food Bank load bags of potatoes for a food distribution for SNAP recipients and other households affected by the federal shutdown, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in San Antonio. Volunteer Angus Hsigh helps a military member during a Feeding San Diego food distribution for military families affected by the federal shutdown Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Oceanside, Calif. Volunteer Angus Hsigh helps a military member during a Feeding San Diego food distribution for military families affected by the federal shutdown Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Oceanside, Calif. Volunteer Karen Robinson moves groceries durning an emergency food distribution at The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Mitzvah Food Program in Philadelphia, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Volunteer Karen Robinson moves groceries durning an emergency food distribution at The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Mitzvah Food Program in Philadelphia, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. NEW YORK — It started with a late October meeting between a lifestyle entrepreneur, a marketing professional, a restaurant owner and a social worker at a brewery in the Florida panhandle. Within hours, Pensacola Grocery Buddies was born.with charitably inclined folks offering to cover grocery costs and deliveries. In just two weeks, co-organizer Hale Morrissette said they’ve made over 300 matches and raised more than $10,000 for those they cannot connect. “Everybody’s stepping up,” said Morrissette, 35, the operations director at a local health nonprofit called ROOTS. “They know that this is not something that’s like a partisan type of issue. It’s about service and it’s about taking care of each other.”that has deepened disruptions to federal services. Whether feeding hungry families or maintaining local museum tours, volunteers nationwide are strengthening social ties that they hope will continue making their neighbors whole in the face of persistent At the Oklahoma City National Memorial, volunteers have filled in giving the grounds tours typically led by now-furloughed National Park Service rangers. The site honors thePat Hall, a 74-year-old state lobbyist and memorial trustee whose wife was there the day of the explosion, said he was “honored to step up” and “keep the flame alive.” His first tour group was a senior class that had travelled three hours by bus from their rural high school.Hall said he wanted to ensure that the government shutdown didn’t stop visitors from learning “the Oklahoma standard,” a term borne from the 1995 attack to promote a culture of caring throughout the state. “The rest of our life was to give, not take,” Hall said he realized in the attack’s aftermath. “My wife survived a bombing. I have to give back.” “We have to lift each other up,” said fellow trustee Sara Sweet. “There’s many, many, many opportunities. Because the need is so great. No matter what sector or what aspect of our communities we’re looking at.”Anna Culbertson was compelled earlier this year by her own job loss. The former National Institute of Allergy and Infection Diseases program specialist wasat the nation’s top health agencies. She then co-founded 27 UNIHTED, a National Institutes of Health alumni network providing peer support and career resources.and created a spreadsheet with available assistance for furloughed workers. They’ve placed collection boxes outside of Panera Bread and Starbucks locations, as well as the well-attended “ This sort of organizing is new for Culbertson. As a career civil servant, she said she’d always cared about helping others. But it wasn’t until recent challenges — the mass layoffs and government shutdown — that she began educating herself on effective organizing. While it’s felt good to recognize the collective power of “regular people,” she said it’s sad that “we’re at this place where this is needed.” “We’re not professional organizers,” Culbertson said. “For me and the NIH cohort, we’re scientists. We’re people who care and help a lot.” That same reciprocal care has surfaced at Norte Vista High School in Riverside, California. The school is recognized for its culture of civic engagement. Students regularly prepare ready-to-eat meals for families in need. But the Trump administration’s push to withhold food assistance funding has kicked that service into overdrive. Norte Vista High School Principal Jason Marquez said they are partnering with local businesses and grocery stores this Thanksgiving season on a door-to-door meal delivery service called “Thanksgiving Hands.” Jaymee O’Rafferty, Norte Vista’s community schools site coordinator, said many of their families struggle with food insecurity and have been asking her for additional support. She’s rallied the mothers’ group to deliver meals and gift cards. Campus clubs are collecting canned foods. It was a student who came to her with the idea for “Thanksgiving Hands.” As she sees it, her job right now is to put one question to as many people as possible: Can you come help us? “Our students are the ones where if they have 10 cans in their pantry, they’re gonna bring five to donate,” O’Rafferty said. “They already know the need and they’re willing to do what it takes to help.” “We have resources and we have power in sharing those resources,” she added. “If everybody is able to come together and share a little, it makes a huge difference.”Families had to stretch their grocery budgets well before the pause on SNAP benefits, she said, and the uncertainty created by those delayed payments has brought “new faces” to her nonprofit. Pensacola Grocery Buddies continued to see its public Facebook page fill up this past weekend with gracious posts from beneficiaries sharing photos of their delivered goods — and direct messages from potential recipients asking when they will reopen applications for new support. The group is hammering out the final details on a Nov. 15 “Neighbors’ Night Out” fundraiser so they can meet more of the demand. As a DJ, Morrissette in charge of the music. “We’re gonna dance and we’re gonna talk and we’re gonna sing,” she said. “We need joy in this world that tells us we shouldn’t have hope.”Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visitPollard covers philanthropy for The Associated Press with a focus on Gen Z’s giving habits and technology’s uses in charitable work. He is based in New York.
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