After 11 years with the agency, she said the ongoing government shutdown has pushed her to the brink.
"It's been extremely hard," Dunston said.
No money has made it into her account, she said, forcing her to choose between paying for gas to get to work or staying home to ensure her daughter has food.
"Do I keep spending money on gas just to get to work? Or do I save the gas and the money and stay here to make sure my child can get some food?" she said.
She said the shutdown in October wiped out her savings, leaving her with little cushion this time. "Last week I only went two days because I just don't have the money for gas. Gas is $4 and some change now. So I have to get my daughter to and from school," she said.
Dunston is not alone. The Department of Homeland Security reported a record number of callouts over the weekend and said 400 officers have quit nationwide since the shutdown began.
"No one's calling in sick unless they are sick. Most other people are calling out because they just can't make it," Dunston said.
Passengers at airports including Houston's Hobby Airport and New Orleans reported long lines and expressed sympathy for TSA workers.
"I would stay at the house, too, until I can get paid. So prayerfully something will happen soon," passenger Antwon Horton said.
Sources told Eyewitness News that six TSA officers at RDU have resigned since last week, including one who submitted a notice Monday.
Passenger Tom Heinrich said, "I feel bad for the TSA officers. They're the ones that are taking it bad right now, quite frankly, with the shutdown."
Another traveler, Ana Isbazant, said, "I feel really bad for the airport staff. They're not getting paid. I mean, they're working overtime. They're already working really hard to begin with, but then with everything going on, it's just an added stressor that they don't need."
Eyewitness News was there when the food bank trucks arrived.
The distribution effort will go on until 2 p.m. TSA workers and other employees could come by and pick up a box of food for their household and other kitchen staples.
Some employees we talked with off camera tell ABC11 this is God sent.
The diaper bank was also here on Tuesday.
They said showing up today is just as important as showing up to any other crisis.
"And so when you're looking at gas prices being high and food being high. Families are already stretched very, very thin. And then you have workers that are going to work every day keeping our airports safe. And then they're not getting paid. And so that really is challenging for families," said Michelle Schaefer with the Diaper Bank.