Tyler Perry donated $250,000 in Visa gift cards to Transportation Security Administration workers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, a representative for the Atlanta media mogul confirmed.
Perry’s team provided the gift cards to a TSA leader to distribute to individual agents, his representative said, and worked alongside the agency to ensure the gifts would be permitted.
TSA officers have been working for six weeks without pay because of a partial government shutdown.
While TSA’s own guidance has advised donations of merchant-specific gift cards in place of credit card gift cards, Perry’s team appeared to have found a workaround.
Efforts to confirm the gift with the TSA and union officials were unsuccessful by deadline.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
Perry tried to give cash in person yesterday, his representative confirmed. When he learned that it wasn’t allowed, he worked with TSA to find another solution.
This is not the first time Perry has donated money to families impacted by a government shutdown.
In November of last year, Perry donated about $1.5 million to organizations providing food resources and other support for families, including Atlanta Community Food Bank and Meals on Wheels Atlanta.
— Staff writer Emma Hurt contributed reporting.
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