Lexington overwhelmed by tidal wave of need after Tyson closure

[Omaha Steve]

https://flatwaterfreepress.org/lexington-overwhelmed-by-tidal-wave-of-need-after-tyson-closure/

By Sara Gentzler Feb. 6

LEXINGTON — At 2 a.m. on a 16-degree mid-January Monday, Magdalena Barrios got in line. Only 10 people stood in front of her outside the Dawson County Opportunity Center.

By 5:30 a.m., the line wrapped halfway around the side of the former Walmart. The doors wouldn’t open until 9 a.m.

For years prior, the roughly 200 people in that line worked at Tyson Foods directly across the street. Their jobs were now casualties in that plant’s closure, and they were seeking help to pay for things like rent and groceries. The shutdown yanked 3,200 jobs from their community of about 10,000 people.

Seven hours after she got in line, Barrios finally got to the front. She walked away with a ticket, paperwork and the promise of a phone call from a nonprofit that could help with her utilities.

FULL story @ link above.


People seeking assistance after the Tyson closure wait their turn in the lobby of the Dawson County Opportunity Center on Jan. 26. The local unemployment office estimated that staff helped 500 people in just two days. Photo by Brian Neben for the Flatwater Free Press

[Dan]

1. Someone should give them the address to the White House

Or Trump’s home in Florida. I am sure that he will help them since they helped him in getting what they voted for.