Financially, Florida is 4th hardest hit state in country by government shutdown

Financially, Florida is the fourth hardest hit state in the country by the government shutdown, according to a new study.

The report from TheFool.com made the conclusion based on loss of salary from federal workers and loss of benefits provided by SNAP.

On Tuesday, Mayport USO collected donations for furloughed local military families.

They make up just some of Duval County’s more than 600 government employees who haven’t seen a paycheck in more than a month.

STORY: Local military wife giving free haircuts to Coast Guard families as shutdown continues

Jerry Service, who donated food, said, “They’re just kids themselves and they have families that need to be fed. It’s just not right for the government to not pay people for working.”

Military families aren’t the only ones feeling the impact.

Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry said they had been seeing ripple effects across the community.

STORY: GOP unveils 1,301 page plan to end partial government shutdown

Neighbors explained that they don’t mind chipping in to help make ends meet until the shutdown is over.”

“We just feel like anything could help, anything at all,” Carol Service said.

Mayport USO will be distributing nonperishable donations at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday; produce and meat will be handed out Thursday.

They’re asking future donations to be made in the form of gift cards to grocery stores.

STORY: Federal agencies help with jobless benefits as shutdown goes over a month

Cox Media Group