During the 35 day government shutdown in December 2018 through January 2019, workers at the Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) facility in Hampton were required to go to work but were not collecting a paycheck.

  “There was a lot of uncertainty, stress, a lot of mixed emotions,” said said Dan McCabe, President and Facility Representative of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) union branch in Hampton. “That was very emotionally taxing on everybody to be considered an essential employee and forced to come into work and not get paid for it.”

  However, the Henry County community rallied around the workers at the ARTCC, sending them meals and messages of support.

  “The community was great to us. They fed us, they gave us words of encouragement. All kinds of different entities reached out to us, asking if we needed this or that and just showing support,” said McCabe. “Quite honestly, that helped us get through a lot of this.”

  Now, during the coronavirus crisis, workers at the ARTCC  and members of the NATCA union have the opportunity to pay back the kindness of first responders shown to them over a year ago.

  “Fast forward a little over a year, here we are in a situation and we are still essential employees but we are not the ones taking the brunt of this. But the frontlines are,” said McCabe. “We felt like it was our turn to give back.”

  “Since the shutdown, I’ve always wanted to take an opportunity to thank those people if I could. This was a perfect opportunity to just give back to the community. You’ve got to pay it forward,” said McCabe.

  Following a conversation with their executive board, McCabe gathered his fellow workers and put out a call for donations to feed frontline workers in the area.

  “I put it together and told everyone that I wanted to put a focus on that. I set up the Go Fund Me and that’s just where it took off,” said McCabe.  As of Monday, April 27, the ARTCC in Hampton  raised $11,170, exceeding their goal of $10,000. With current projections, they will be able to feed about 1,100 people, but the numbers could increase.

  “We raised more money than we ever thought we would,” said McCabe. “It’s been incredible.”

  So far, 153 people have donated to the cause, a majority of those employees at the ARTCC, and over 500 meals have been delivered.

  “We have fed the Hampton Police, Henry County Police, Piedmont Fayette, Piedmont Henry, and Jonesboro Nursing and Rehab,” said McCabe.

  Those that have received the donated food also receive fliers with a QR Code to scan and send a photo of themselves enjoying the food.

  “We said, ‘We’d like to be there and share with you and help you relax but we obviously can’t be there. But, if you feel inclined, send us a picture of you getting off your feet and relaxing and enjoying a meal,’” said McCabe. “The response has been great. People are very appreciative of it. We’ve received tons of photos.”

  They plan to feed workers at the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Piedmont Newnan Hospital, Wellstar Spalding Regional Hospital, and a few Henry County Fire Stations, and have begun reaching out to Grady Memorial Hospital, Emory Hospitals, and Southern Regional Medical Center.

  “We wanted to focus on the area around here first and then expand it north and south as we can,” said McCabe.

  The fundraising effort is also supporting local businesses, as meals are catered solely from area restaurants.

  “We are using only local businesses. If it’s a national brand, we want it to be locally franchised,” said McCabe. “A majority of the food we’ve done has been from the Italian Oven in Stockbridge and Peachtree City. We have also used Rutabaga’s, which is a local business in Hampton.”

  McCabe says that they plan to continue to feed first responders until every penny has been spent.

  “We’re just proud of being able to be a part of doing this,” said McCabe.