Jacksonville Jaguars to host free dinner for Coast Guard members amid shutdown

The Jacksonville Jaguars have reportedly invited U.S. Coast Guard members and their families to a free dinner this week as thousands of active-duty members continue to go without paychecks due to the partial government shutdown.

The NFL team has invited members of the military branch and their loved ones to enjoy free wings and appetizers at a number of participating Dick’s Wings and Grill locations across Florida and Georgia on Thursday, according to a local station WJXT.

{mosads}The team will reportedly be footing the bill for any food and nonalcoholic beverages ordered by the military members and their families at each of the participating restaurants.

According to The Wall Street Journal, more than 40,000 active-duty members of the Coast Guard have gone without their last paychecks in addition to 8,000 civilian employees due to the shutdown, which is the longest ever in U.S. history.

Civilian employees will reportedly stand to miss another paycheck on Friday if the funding lapse that began Dec. 22 continues, while uniformed service members’ next paycheck is scheduled to go out on Feb. 1.

Should the closure continue through that date, however, roughly 50,000 other beneficiaries will also reportedly miss a check.

The government shutdown stretched into its 33rd day on Wednesday as President Trump and congressional Democrats remain in a stalemate over Trump’s demand for more than $5 billion to fund construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The shutdown has impacted hundreds of thousands of federal workers across the country.