In this screenshot from the U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria website, furloughed American employees are directed to food assistance from German public resources. The listing has since been deleted from the garrison's shutdown guidance page. (U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria )
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — A listing of German food aid services included on a U.S. Army garrison page of resources available during the government shutdown was intended for local national employees rather than American troops, U.S. Army Europe and Africa said Wednesday.
The list of five German support organizations appeared on the “shutdown guidance” web page of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria but was removed sometime Wednesday. Before it was taken down, an image of the listings was posted on a handful of Reddit pages.
The social media posting prompted questions about why the listing of services was removed from the website.
“The list of local food support was created weeks ago, when the U.S. Army was concerned that its German employees might not be getting paid during the lapse in appropriations, which could have caused them to need temporary assistance,” the USAREUR-AF statement said.
The information about German assistance was released in guidance provided by the Army’s Installation Management Command-Europe under the heading “Germany Specific Resources and Legal/Rental Information,” and elsewhere it was listed as “local national employee resources,” according to the statement.
The shutdown entered its 36th day on Wednesday, making it the longest in U.S. history. Food aid for U.S. military families is available from various American-run sources.
The Bavaria Community and Spouses’ Club operates two food pantries out of the thrift shops on Tower Barracks in Grafenwoehr and Rose Barracks in Vilseck. Grafenwoehr Elementary School began accepting nonperishable food items Oct. 27 to aid those in need, according to a flyer distributed by the school this week.
No-questions-asked pickups can be scheduled for any school day starting at 2:45 p.m. via email. Requests should be directed to school counselor Cherine Redmond at cherine.redmond@dodea.edu.
The school is still accepting donations including staples such as rice, soup, soap and other nonperishables, the flyer said. Donation bins are located by the school entrance.
