Social distancing pizza delivery by TSA officers to members of the T.F. Green Airport community. (TSA photo)
WARWICK, R.I. – Social distancing didn’t stop the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) team at T.F. Green Airport from sending a little love to the rest of the airport community.
With the number of passengers flying out of the airport down to a trickle, the TSA officers recognized that members of the airport community were also dwindling due to the dramatic decline in travelers. Airport workers have seen their hours cut, and paychecks reduced with the fewer work hours. So the TSA officers decided to chip in and treat their fellow airport workers to a few free dinners.
The afternoon/evening TSA shift took up a voluntary collection and used the money to support a local pizza business and twice bought dinners for the airport community.
The TSA officers practiced social distancing during their delivery rounds and wore masks and gloves when they dropped off the pizza dinners to individuals who work for ABM (wheelchair passenger attendants) and ISS (environmental service provider) staff along with representatives from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines.
The TSA workforce at Green Airport remember that the airport community supported the TSA employees who worked without paychecks during the government furlough, and decided to return the favor by donating some money to cover the cost of the pizzas. The TSA officers “discussed giving back to those in the airport community who had helped them during the government shutdown,” explained Christopher Primiano, TSA’s Stakeholder Liaison at the airport. “The airlines and other airport employees have been hit hard by the effects of Covid-19. Passenger loads have plummeted, airlines have drastically cut their flights and no one knows when things may start to return to some sort of normalcy. As a result, unfortunately the airlines and other employees have seen reductions in their pay due to less hours, furloughs and leave of absences.”
Recipients were surprised and grateful at the kind gesture by the TSA team. “It felt good to give back to those who helped us during our difficult time during the furlough,” said Supervisory TSA Officer Joseph Mancieri. “We are all in this together as a family working at Green Airport.”
“This pandemic is a challenging time for everyone and I’m proud that the TSA officers recognized the financial struggle of others within the airport community and found a way to express their gratitude for what the airport community did during the furlough to support TSA by paying it forward,” said Daniel Burche, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Rhode Island.
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