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Potsdam Food Co-op offering 20 percent discount to federal employees affected by the shutdown

Posted 1/22/19

POTSDAM -- Potsdam Co-op is offering a 20 percent discount to federal employees affected by the shutdown, many of whom have not been paid since December. The shutdown is now in its sixth week. …

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Potsdam Food Co-op offering 20 percent discount to federal employees affected by the shutdown

Posted

POTSDAM -- Potsdam Co-op is offering a 20 percent discount to federal employees affected by the shutdown, many of whom have not been paid since December. The shutdown is now in its sixth week.

“Everyone deserves good food but it’s hard to afford if you aren’t receiving your usual paycheck,” Lee Van de Water, the co-op’s general manager, said in an announcement. “We hope to see a resolution to the shutdown soon but until then this is one small way we can help those impacted. This is our way of saying thank you for your hard work.”

Federal employees will need to present their government ID to the cashier upon checkout in order to receive the discount.

Currently, federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are funded through the end of February, and New York State has offered most SNAP recipients early access to their February benefits. Should SNAP funding be discontinued, the Co-op will offer SNAP recipients the same benefit as well.

“Many North Country families regularly rely on SNAP benefits to bridge the gap between what they have and what they need. Our discount is not a substitute for federal funding, but we hope, should we have to implement it, that it will help make ends meet,” said Van de Water.

People who would like to speak to Potsdam Co-op General Manager Lee Van De Water about the decision to extend a discount to Federal employees can contact him at generalmanager@potsdamcoop.com or at (315) 265-4630.