Defense Department surpasses food drive goal

  • Published
  • By Jolene Cantrell
  • 17th Force Support Squadron
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Throughout the past two months, volunteers across the country, in conjunction with the Feds Feed Families Food Drive, collected non-perishable food and toiletry items for local food pantries.

With the addition of 1,575 pounds of donations over the last weekend of August, Team Goodfellow was able to collect a total of 3,163 pounds to support the local community. Donations were taken to the Concho Valley Regional Food Bank, whose mission is to stop the waste of edible food and to distribute that food and other grocery products to a network of non-profit agencies with on-site feeding or food distribution programs in the Concho Valley.

Although the final numbers have not been calculated, the last report showing the Defense Department had collected more than 1,423,414 pounds of donated food and toiletries, leaving its goal of 733,000 pounds in the dust.

In many ways, America is the land of plenty. But for one in six Americans, hunger is an all too familiar reality. Many people believe that the problems associated with hunger are confined to small pockets of society, certain areas of the country, or certain neighborhoods, but the reality is much different. Right now, millions of Americans are struggling with hunger. These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and at times are forced to go without food.

Food banks across the National Capital Region and around the country face severe shortages of non-perishable items, just as summer begins and children have limited access to school nutrition programs. Federal employees nationwide are stepping up to meet this challenge by gathering 1.2 million pounds of food for families in need this summer. This Federal-wide campaign offers a great opportunity to help those who lack the resources to provide food for themselves and their families, and the DoD family is dedicated to protecting and looking after the interests of its fellow Americans.

Deputy Secretary of Defense, William J. Lynn helped launch the Department of Defense third annual "Feds Feed Families" Food Drive Campaign on May 26 to assist the Federal Government in this nationwide effort. The DOD goal is to collect 733,800 pounds for distribution to local food banks nationwide.

Pat Tamburrino, Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy, who serves as National co-chair of the campaign and as the representative for the Defense Department said, "This campaign gives us the opportunity not only to help others, but to showcase what it means to be a true public servant. We are proud of DOD's support of this food drive for the last two years - our employees have given a lot thus far, and we are looking forward to gathering even more food in this final 60 day push in the campaign. We will need everyone's help to reach our Department goal of 733,800 pounds as well as the Federal Government's goal of 1.2 million lbs of food, but we can do it."

To encourage the widest possible donations to support America's families in need, the DOD expanded the campaign by calling on the Military Services and Defense Agencies to become engaged in this effort. By expanding the campaign, military installations, organizations, Commissaries, and others outside the Washington metro area, will have an opportunity to participate in this worthy cause.

FMI: Jolene Cantrell at jolene.cantrell@goodfellow.af.mil or (325) 654-3785, or Stephanie Flynn at stephanie.flynn@goodfellow.af.mil or (325) 654-4959.