Orange County leaders are poised to approve an extra $1 million for the region’s largest hunger relief organization this week, in light of the recent uncertainty surrounding federal food assistance and the impact of the 43-day government shutdown that ended last week.
Most federal government employees, including tens of thousands in Central Florida alone, were furloughed for the duration of the shutdown or forced to continue working without pay for the duration of the shutdown. (The status of back pay for those workers is yet to be determined, although a document reviewed by Semafor shows the administration is working on getting payments out by Nov. 19.)
On Tuesday, Orange County’s board of county commissioners and Mayor Jerry Demings will vote on whether to approve the extra funding for Second Harvest Food Bank, which serves seven counties (including Orange) across Central Florida…