Donors Chip in to Help Programs Hurt by Shutdown

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The partial government shutdown is squeezing a number of programs that help people in need.

So, across the country, donors big and small are opening their wallets to help keep some of those programs afloat.

A pair of Texas philanthropists pledged up to $10 million to help Head Start programs affected by the shutdown. A university in New Hampshire decided to offer scholarships to active-duty military personnel whose tuition assistance has been switched off by the shutdown. And in Arkansas, people have been donating to a nonprofit organization since the shutdown froze a stipend some of its workers receive.

The shutdown began Oct. 1, and it's not clear when it will end.

JEANNIE NUSS, Associated Press

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