By Ed O’Keefe | The Washington Post
Federal employees fearful of a third year of pay freezes and steeling themselves for deeper budget cuts have a chance next week to eat away their sorrows.
GovLoop, a social media network often referred to as “The Facebook for Feds,” is hosting a “Free Food Trucks for Feds” event next Thursday in the Federal Triangle neighborhood near the offices of about a dozen federal agencies.
“Ninety-nine percent of government workers never hear ‘thank you’ and GovLoop is staging a public protest that could very well rival Occupy D.C.,” the site said in a cheeky message announcing the party. “Public servants have been working hard to do more with less and that deserves our appreciation…and, in this case, a warm meal.”
The Web site’s creators are buying lunch for the first 500 public servants who show up on Dec. 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the L’Enfant and Federal Triangle metro stops. Federal, state and local government employees who show up with a government-issued ID or business card will be able to choose between free barbeque or macaroni and cheese lunches courtesy of the BBQ Bus or Cap Mac food trucks.
As noble as GovLoop’s gesture may be, it’s also designed to generate some business (and in the interest of full disclosure, this is where we pause to note that GovLoop and The Washington Post maintain a content-sharing partnership). The site next week also plans to celebrate reaching its 50,000th member by throwing a party Thursday night at the 19th Hole in Foggy Bottom.
