Commissaries step up to support Feds Feed Families
FORT LEE, Va. (September 30, 2016) – Commissary patrons and employees again stepped up in a big way in the annual Feds Feed Families campaign, accounting for a third of DOD's total donation in this year's drive.
"It all comes down to the great support we had from our customers and commissary personnel participating in this year's campaign, which ran from June through August" said Randy Eller, the Defense Commissary Agency's deputy director of logistics.
This year DeCA employees and patrons donated over a million pounds of food and personal hygiene items for local food banks and pantries. It amounted to 34 percent of DOD's total donation of 3.3 million pounds. In 2015, the commissaries collected 1.6 million pounds of DOD's 3.2 million total.
To make donating simpler for commissary patrons, workers in the stores put together prepackaged donation bags of various sizes. These packages were then placed around the stores where patrons could easily pick them up as they shop and then donate them after checking out.
"Commissary patrons and employees know that it's important to give back to the communities surrounding their installations," Eller said. "The proof is in the thousands of pounds of donated items we collect every year for this worthy cause."
Feds Feed Families was created as a part of President Obama's "United We Serve" campaign in 2009. The program was started to help food banks stay stocked throughout the summer, when they typically see fewer donations and increased demand. As of last year the program donated almost 57.2 million pounds of food and other items have been donated by federal employees from all across the federal government.
Note: To see photos on DeCA's Flickr page related to Feds Feed Families, go to https://www.flickr.com/photos/commissary/sets/72157671188203813.
About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit and make no profit on the sale of merchandise. Authorized patrons purchase items at cost plus a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. By shopping regularly in the commissary, patrons save thousands of dollars annually. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America's military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.
Media Contact:
Kevin L. Robinson
(804) 734-8000, Ext. 4-8773
kevin.robinson@deca.mil