VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Syracuse airport hosts food drive to support federal workers amid government shutdown
Kelsey Jones: 36 days and counting. That is how long more than 200 federal workers at the Syracuse Hancock International Airport have gone without a paycheck. With the federal government shut down, TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and even emergency services have been working for free. But according to customer experience manager Matt Szwejbka, those employees have not slowed down. He spoke on their importance in keeping the airport running.
Matt Szwejbka: This place does not operate without our federal partners. We have to have a certain number of firefighters on call. We have to have a certain number of folks working at the TSA checkpoint, and we have to have a certain number of controllers in the FAA air traffic control tower. If those numbers are not met, we don’t operate as an airport. So we are deeply indebted to them and deeply grateful for their service.
Jones: Navigating the longest shutdown in government history, the Syracuse Hancock International Airport is doing what they can to support their federal workers. And the first step here is a food drive. The airport collected donations of non-perishable goods from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today to be distributed among federal employees. Szwejbka said the food drive came about thanks to the generosity of the Syracuse community.
Szwejbka: Members of the public were reaching out to us, quite frequently, and as the guy who receives those inquiries from the public I can very confidently tell you that there is an outpouring of support from members of the public who want to make a difference.
Jones: And make a difference they did. Members of the community dropped by bringing bags and boxes filled to the brim with food.
Bill Wilson: This cart here, I’ve probably filled that at least 10 different times. All the shelves. And the back room is getting very full as well so people have been very generous.
Jones: Bill was not exaggerating. In just the first day of collecting donations the drive received nearly 300 bags of food. And Bill believes the Syracuse community has more to give.
Wilson: I expect it to get busier. This is our first kickoff and like I said the room is already very full. So tomorrow, we may have to try and get a second room.
Jones: The food drive will continue through Nov. 7 at four p.m. Those who would like to help can take their donations to the drop off zone outside terminal A. For NCC News I’m Kelsey Jones.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – For more than 36 days, federal employees at the Syracuse Hancock International Airport worked without receiving a paycheck. With the United States federal government experiencing what is now the longest shutdown in U.S. history, employees such as TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and even firefighters worked for free.
Despite this, officials at Syracuse Hancock claim the airport has experienced no delays or cancellations due to staffing issues. In fact, customer experience manager Matt Szwejbka says his workers have not slowed down one bit. He emphasized how vital the federal employees are to keeping the airport operational.
“This place does not operate without our federal partners,” Swejbka said. “We have to have a certain number of firefighters on call. We have to have a certain number of folks working at the TSA checkpoint, and we have to have a certain number of controllers in the FAA air traffic control tower. If those numbers are not met, we don’t operate as an airport. So we are deeply indebted to them and deeply grateful for their service.”
In order to support those workers, Syracuse Hancock hosted a food drive Nov. 5-7 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., collecting non-perishable food items to be dispersed among federal employees. Airport volunteers waited outside of terminal A, receiving donations from passengers arriving early to locals coming by to support.
The drive came about thanks to the generosity of the Central New York community according to Swejbka.
“Members of the public were reaching out to us, quite frequently, and as the guy who receives those inquiries from the public I can very confidently tell you that there is an outpouring of support from members of the public who want to make a difference,” Swejbka said.
Community members arrived throughout the week bringing with them bags and boxes filled to the brim with food. Fly guide and volunteer Bill Wilson noticed the overwhelming amount of support from the CNY community.
“This cart here, I’ve probably filled that at least 10 different times. All the shelves. And the back room is getting very full as well so people have been very generous,” Wilson said.
Wilson was not exaggerating the number of donations he gathered. In just the first day of the drive, the airport collected nearly 300 bags of food, expecting even more to come in the following days.
“I expect it to get busier,” Wilson said. “This is our first kickoff and like I said the room is already very full. So tomorrow, we may have to try and get a second room.”
The drive continued through Nov. 7 collecting additional food and supplies for federal employees.
Now, amidst increased staffing issues in airports nationally, the U.S. government may be close to approving a deal to end the shutdown, according to the New York Times.