The sight was staggering in Prince George’s County, Md., home to more than 60,000 federal workers: middle-class professionals lined up for boxes of pasta, protein and produce to feed their families.
After a two-hour wait, Wanda Bright had finally reached the front of the line — just as the first batch of supplies ran out.
The Capital Area Food Bank had started the day with 300 boxes, enough for 150 government employees to receive two boxes each. It turned out that the need was even greater.


I don’t take 16k home a month.
I have a family.
I live in a high cost of living area.
I live below the median income for my area.
You’re just out of touch with my circumstances in the same way I’m out of touch with the circumstances of workers who make minimum wage and similarly struggle.
The point is that I’m made to be the enemy of middle America workers because of this notion that my larger salary makes me a cry baby bitch when in reality it’s the folks who are taking all the money from us who are the cry baby bitches.
It is admittedly difficult for the average wage earner in most of the country to understand how $200k/yr isn’t the lap of luxury, because I live in a “high cost of living” area relative to most of Maine, and I’m pretty comfortable with my $45k and my wife’s 35. We just bought a house. We drive cars we own, we don’t use credit cards. We’re both college drop outs with no loans left, so I’m sure that’s part of it. But yea, not trying to bash, just more politely explain than “cry baby bitch”, because that gets us nowhere.
My salary is below the median where I live.
Could your salaries work in New York City or San Francisco?
I work for my money and use most all of it for the survival of my family. I’m not saving vast quantities and I’m not the problem.
My 5x the USA median salary isn’t the problem. The fact that the median salary is 5x less than mine IS the problem.
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