Denver International Airport Urges Public to Donate Gas, Grocery Cards to Unpaid TSA Staff

(DENVER, COLORADO) — Denver International Airport asked the public to donate grocery store and gas gift cards to help TSA employees who are working without pay during a partial government shutdown that began February 14, 2026.

The airport said it needs $10 and $20 gift cards that TSA employees can use for essentials as they go without paychecks, a strain that airport leaders tied to continued screening demands at Denver International Airport during a busy mid-March travel period.

Denver International Airport announced the donation drive on March 11, 2026, in social media posts that described grocery store and gas gift cards as “immediate needs” for TSA workers.

Phil Washington, CEO of Denver International Airport, said the request aimed to provide some relief as the shutdown’s effects hit home. “TSA employees just missed their first paycheck, and as we enter a busy Spring Break travel period, we want to do what we can to ease the stress of this moment. That’s why we are calling on the public, our passengers, and other airport employees to donate grocery store and gas gift cards to help make this moment a little more bearable for these federal workers,” Washington said.

The airport set limits on what it will accept. Visa gift cards cannot be accepted.

TSA employees missed their first paycheck during the shutdown over the weekend of March 8-9, 2026, a milestone that sharpened concerns about how quickly missed pay can translate into missed bills for federal workers.

The partial government shutdown began nearly one month before mid-March, placing TSA employees and other federal workers in the position of reporting to work while household budgets absorb the loss of regular pay.

Airports depend on TSA employees to keep passenger screening lines moving, and the pressure becomes more visible during high-volume stretches when travelers crowd terminals. Denver International Airport framed its donation drive as a way to support continuity by helping workers cover basic needs while they remain on the job.

Washington’s message also linked the request to the airport’s immediate operational reality: screening continues even as pay disruptions land, and airport leaders want travelers and other employees to understand what that means for the people staffing checkpoints.

Denver International Airport directed donors to drop off gift cards at two on-site locations: the Final Approach cell phone lot and the Jeppesen Terminal.

The airport’s focus on grocery store and gas gift cards reflects the kinds of purchases that can keep daily routines intact when pay stops arriving, including food and commuting costs. Officials did not ask for cash donations in the announcement, instead pointing the public to the specific gift cards it can distribute quickly.

For travelers passing through Denver International Airport, the donation drive added a new kind of notice to the Spring Break rush: the same TSA employees checking IDs and running bags through X-ray machines may be doing so without the paycheck they expected.

The shutdown-driven pay disruption has also prompted responses at other major U.S. airports, where workers and unions described immediate needs and local partners organized food and household assistance.

At Oakland International Airport, a TSA worker described turning to donated food to keep his family fed. “Oakland airport, they have some sort of food bank that is donating food towards the officers. So, we can feed the kids and stuff, but … it’s food pantry food — canned food, vegetables, fruit, macaroni and cheese. It’s a grind right now,” said Joseph Cerletti, a TSA worker at Oakland International Airport and assistant chief of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1260 union.

Cerletti’s account offered a window into the tradeoffs families make when pay disappears: relying on whatever food is available, adjusting meals around donations, and trying to maintain normal routines while continuing to report for duty.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport also opened a food pantry that accepts non-perishable food, hygiene items, and diapers, adding another example of airport-based support efforts that rely on community donations.

The Seattle-Tacoma effort operates at the SEA Conference Center between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., giving workers a place to pick up supplies during the day as the shutdown continues.

In New York City, the Port Authority partnered with City Harvest, a food-focused nonprofit, to set up donation drives at John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, tying airport operations to broader local hunger-relief networks.

That partnership has distributed 14,000 pounds of food to 644 households so far, reflecting a scale of need that extends beyond individual employees and into families managing grocery costs over multiple weeks.

Denver International Airport’s request follows the same basic logic: offer assistance that can be used immediately, without complex eligibility steps, and that aligns with everyday expenses workers cannot postpone.

The airport’s decision to seek small-denomination gift cards underscores that even relatively modest amounts can matter when a paycheck does not arrive, particularly for food and fuel purchases that can’t wait until the shutdown ends.

By specifying $10 and $20 cards, Denver International Airport also signaled the kind of donation it can likely distribute in volume, drawing on contributions from travelers, other airport employees, and members of the public who may want to help but can only give limited amounts.

The airport’s note that Visa gift cards cannot be accepted narrows the appeal to card types it can use for the intended purpose, steering donors toward grocery and gas brands rather than general-purpose payment cards.

Donation drop-offs at the Final Approach cell phone lot and the Jeppesen Terminal place collection points where residents and travelers can reach them without needing access to secure areas of the airport, making it possible to contribute without taking a flight.

Even with that access, the airport’s message centered on practicality rather than ceremony, emphasizing quick help for workers who have already missed pay.

The shutdown context remains the driver of these efforts. With the partial government shutdown beginning February 14, 2026, the missed paycheck over the weekend of March 8-9, 2026, marked an early pinch point for workers’ finances.

For TSA employees, that pressure lands as they keep showing up to manage screening volumes that can surge with seasonal travel. Airports have not described these donation efforts as long-term fixes, but as bridges for immediate needs.

Washington’s statement framed the Denver drive as a response to a specific moment: a first missed paycheck colliding with an approaching “busy Spring Break travel period,” as he put it, when staffing stability can affect how quickly passengers move through checkpoints.

The examples from Oakland, Seattle, and New York show similar patterns: local food assistance, airport-based collection efforts, and partnerships with nonprofits or other groups that can gather and distribute essentials.

For Cerletti, the aid described at Oakland International Airport comes in the form of donated pantry items. His quote also captured a reality that repeats across shutdowns: help may exist, but it may not match what families typically buy, and it may come with uncertainty about how long it will last.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s pantry adds hygiene items and diapers to the list, reflecting needs beyond food, including supplies for families with children.

In New York, the Port Authority’s partnership with City Harvest situates airport workers in a larger citywide relief infrastructure, with the distribution figures giving a snapshot of how quickly demand accumulates when pay disruptions reach thousands of households.

Denver’s approach, limited to gas and grocery gift cards, aims at essentials that workers can select themselves, letting families decide whether the most urgent need is a tank of gas to get to work or food to get through the week.

Airport leaders have not portrayed these efforts as substitutes for pay. Instead, they have described them as temporary help to reduce stress and keep day-to-day life manageable while workers continue doing their jobs.

For people who want to help beyond airport drop-offs, the other airport examples point to a broader model: supporting food assistance efforts that provide groceries and basic supplies to workers and their families during missed pay periods.

Those initiatives, whether set up at an airport conference center, organized through a local food bank, or run through partnerships with nonprofits, show how communities can marshal practical donations when federal workers face sudden pay disruptions.

At Denver International Airport, the request remained straightforward: donate $10 and $20 grocery store and gas gift cards, avoid Visa gift cards, and deliver the cards to the Final Approach cell phone lot or the Jeppesen Terminal so they can reach unpaid TSA employees quickly.