Ellen Surprises 2 Furloughed PG County Sisters With $20K (ICYMI)

Editor's note: This article was originally posted earlier this week.

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD -- Two sisters from Prince George's County who have been furloughed due to the ongoing government shutdown got the surprise of their lives when talk show host Ellen DeGeneres gave them $20,000 and placed an order for one of their cheesecakes recently.

Jaqi Wright and Nikki Howard, who work for the Department of Justice and the Food and Drug Administration and haven't worked since Dec. 22, told DeGeneres that their situation has been "horrible" and that bills are due, according to a WTOP report.

Wright recounted the time when her sister sent her home on New Year's Day with some cheesecake, and after a bite she said she forgot about the furlough for a moment because it was so good. They called it the Furlough Cheesecake, and have started a business selling them.

DeGeneres stunned them by announcing that Cheerios would provide them with $20,000. And with precious TV time on a popular show promoting the cheesecakes, orders were bound to surge, DeGeneres noted. She even placed an order for one herself.

You can order your own cheesecake from the sisters at thefurloughcheesecake.com.

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)