With the federal government's partial shutdown continuing into its fourth week, officials with St. Vincent DePaul decided to open its food bank Saturdays for government employees.

The food bank in the city of Butler is typically closed on weekends, with regular hours running from Monday through Friday in the morning. But starting this Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., food will be handed out to any government workers and contractors who are affected by the shutdown.

“We knew there were people around here who weren't getting paid because of the shutdown,” said Mary Washko, president of the organization's Butler chapter. “If they're not getting paid for a while now, some of them have family they need to provide for — and so, we wanted to provide for the community.”

She noted that the Saturday hours will continue for the time being, saying, “We'll be here as long as the government is shut down.”

Washko said that even with the recent increase in demand that comes with the holiday season, its stores have enough food to handle an extra day of operation, but “donations are always welcome” and they can be dropped off in the morning during the week and, now, on Saturday.

And because of the expected increase in food demand, Washko said, “We would like to stress that this is for government people only — and for everyone else, there's the regular, weekday option.”

Overall, St. Vincent DePaul's food bank serves about 600 families per month, according to Washko, including veterans, disabled people and “everyone from every walk of life.”