Not working means I have to worry about money a little bit,\u201d Carol Peace, who was among the ex-gaming workers at the food drive, told NJ.com<\/em>. \u201cI wonder if we are going to go back to work at the casinos.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u201cIt is sad that we need this. These are people with jobs. I hope there is a treatment for this soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Massive Demand for Food<\/h2>\n
The boxed food included about 40 meals, enough to last the unemployed workers two weeks. Included was pasta, rice, canned goods, produce, and dairy products.<\/p>\n
They also got some extra fresh produce. A few hundred workers got only produce after the regular boxes reportedly ran out, and some workers were turned away and were directed to local food pantries.<\/p>\n
Local 54 President Bob McDevitt told NJ.com<\/em> he anticipated the casinos may reopen by mid-May.<\/p>\nFrom the top of the state to the bottom of the state, the hospitality industry is huge, and the workers are all being affected by this,\u201d McDevitt said. \u201cThey exhausted their unemployment because they took partial unemployment over the slower wintertime months, and they qualify for nothing.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
“They are not getting the $600 yet because the state is still processing that, so there are many people who have not gotten a paycheck in almost six weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Community Food Bank staff member Kimberly Arroyo further told NJ.com<\/em> that the \u201ccasino industry supports many of our South Jersey residents, and they and non-casino residents went dark on the same day. We are going to offer any assistance that we can.\u201d<\/p>\nThe laid-off workers include dealers, cooks, valets, housekeepers, and servers, the Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s a little help,\u201d Diego Ramirez, a former bartender at the Borgata, told the newspaper. \u201cI just hope they open quick. But safely.\u201d<\/p>\n
As of 11 a.m., food from two 53-foot tractor trailers was distributed. As the massive demand became obvious, a large tractor trailer carrying more food came from the region\u2019s food bank to the mall escorted by a police cruiser, the report said.<\/p>\n
The Inquirer<\/em> further reported that New Jersey\u2019s Atlantic County is projected to be the third-worst region economically in the US because of the pandemic.<\/p>\nUnion Will Help Its Members<\/h2>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here for our members and our community, and we will continue to be there as long as we are needed,\u201d Donna DeCaprio, treasurer and financial secretary for Local 54, told The Press of Atlantic City<\/em>.<\/p>\nLocal 54 has gotten more than 3,600 calls from members about unemployment benefits, the Press<\/em> reported. More food drives will be offered to union members.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An estimated 1,500 laid-off casino employees waited in a two-mile-long line of vehicles in New Jersey Wednesday to receive free food so their families do not go hungry, news reports said. The Community Food Bank of New Jersey\/United Here Local 54 food drive was in Egg Harbor Township\u2019s closed Harbor Square Mall\u2019s parking lot. Those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":133814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33810],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Atlantic City Casino Workers Wait Hours for Food, Hope To Be Rehired<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n