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Community members gather food for ‘Feds Feed Families’

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sean M. Crowe
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst units hosted collection points for community members to donate non-perishable food items and various goods as part of the annual Feds Feed Families program June 1, 2013, to Aug. 28, 2013 here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture headed the federal campaign this year in which all federal agencies are asked to participate, according to www.usda.gov.

The program participants have collected 15.2 million pounds of food and non-perishable items since its inception in 2009.

Each unit here had organizers and volunteers run the collection. Each unit used different methods to appeal to donors to reach their goals.

"One motivator for us was visually tracking our squadron's progress," said Petty Officer 1st Class Amanda Bines, 87th Security Forces Squadron confinement noncommissioned officer. "We also used other methods to raise donations. My partner and I pitted the flights against each other to spark competition to see who could donate the most."

Community members mainly donated food items including canned goods, rice and nuts, but also donated health and hygiene supplies such as toothbrushes, toilet paper and shampoo. People could also donate money in place of food.

"Our Squadron gathered approximately 1,200 pounds of food and supplies in the first week," said Bines. "We had collected approximately 3,500 pounds of food and supplies by the end of the collection period. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we make a team effort."

Community members could donate at any of the many collection points scattered across the joint base including the Exchange, the McGuire Chapel and many squadron buildings. The 87th SFS members donated approximately 2,600 more pounds of food than last year.

"The senior leaders made the largest contributions in our squadron," said Bines. "Master Sgt. James Wrisley, our squadron's swing shift flight chief, rallied about 2,200 pounds of goods from his section. It was the contributors who made the event a success."

Unit representatives gathered the non-perishable items at the end of the period and transported the supplies to the commissary where employees weighed the goods before distributing them to six local food banks.

"I think everyone in our squadron feels a natural inclination to help the community since it's our job as security forces and military members to protect and serve," said Bines.