‘People haven't forgotten': Toy exchange held for kids of fired federal workers

It’s less than a week away from Christmas, and for federal workers who faced job losses this year, it’s an especially stressful time as they deal with lost income and uncertainty. On Friday, a special toy exchange was held for the children of those workers and those still digging out from the federal government shutdown.

At WellFed on Capitol Hill, parents and even some children looked over the toys on display at a holiday celebration.

The toys were meant for the children of federal workers who’ve been affected by cuts and layoffs and the government shutdown.

“I was laid off from the FDA April 1, or we call it, the April Fools’ Day public health massacre. There were 10,000 of us laid off from HHS on that day,” said Jessica Weinberg, who’s still looking for work.

She attended the toy drive to pick up a gift or two for her two young children.

“Logistically and financially, as well as just kind of spiritually and community-wise, to know that there are people who haven’t forgotten, people that are still trying to help and support and also remember that there are kids involved,” she said.

Julianne Weis was there with her daughter, who enjoyed checking out all the donated toys on display.

Weis was fired from USAID on July 1. She’s thinking of the impact the federal cuts have had around the world

“My circumstances — I mean, I’m healthy; my child is healthy, but there are children globally who have died because of this,” she said.

“This is very real,” she said.

Rebecca Ferguson-Ondrey cofounded WellFed after losing her federal job in February. Friday’s toy exchange is just one of many events the organization has held to help fired feds get back on their feet and support their families.

“That’s something heavy on parents’ hearts right now, is: ‘How do I make the holiday special when I have a reduced budget. I might have lost one or two incomes from my household and I don’t know what tomorrow’s gonna bring’,” she said.

With events like this, they’ll know when the holidays are here that someone cared enough to help make it special.

Toys not selected Friday will go to charity to make sure every child has something at Christmas.

WellFed has also hosted numerous programs to help fired federal workers and contractors this year, including help with job searching and resume building.