EM is leading DOE’s effort to collect and donate food to people in need this summer through a drive held by federal employees across the U.S.
Office of Environmental Management
July 30, 2019
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EM is leading DOE’s effort to collect and donate food to people in need this summer through a drive held by federal employees across the U.S.
Summer can be especially difficult for some families because their children don’t have access to free breakfasts and lunches provided by schools during the school year.
“The biggest concern is that during summer months food insecurity is a major challenge,” said Melody Bell, EM’s acting deputy assistant secretary for resource management, who volunteered to serve as chair of DOE’s 2019 Feds Feed Families Food Drive. “It really puts a lot of stress on the families during the summer months.”
Bell coordinates all of DOE’s efforts in the drive and hopes to achieve the Department’s goal of collecting 70,000 pounds of non-perishable and perishable goods before the campaign ends Aug. 23.
“This agency is known for rolling their sleeves up and pitching in. I’m very proud of that,” Bell said. “Coming together as a community is pretty important to help overcome this challenge, or try to minimize it as much as possible.”
Employees can drop off non-perishable food items at workplace collection boxes for the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., or a food bank outside the region; deliver surplus fresh food from gardens to participating local food pantries; or help glean, or clear, fields and warehouses of unused produce.
“I’m humbled to be tapped to take on such a significant task,” Bell said. “I’m challenged by a short timeframe but I’ve gotten so much support from the DOE community,” including employees at DOE headquarters and EM sites.
At EM’s Paducah Site, 14 interns were asked to collect at least 12,000 pounds of canned food and other supplies for area nonprofit organizations through the Feds Feed Families drive this summer. They surpassed that goal by gathering more than 19,000 pounds of canned food and other supplies.
Initially, the task seemed impossible; however, the interns said they were amazed at how many pounds of food they collected by hosting a series of “foodraiser” events at the site.
“At first, it felt like an unattainable goal to collect this much food in such a short period of time,” intern Dillon Day said. “But in the end, I learned a lot about the value of teamwork and saw how much we were able to accomplish together.”
Feds Feed Families has a tremendous impact on local nonprofit food pantries and kitchens, according to Jennifer Woodard, Paducah Site lead for EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office.
“During the summer months, donations are low but the needs are high with children out of school,” Woodard said. “DOE Paducah is still collecting food and will be making more donations later this summer.”
As the Paducah Site’s effort continues, PPPO is also tapping the generosity of employees at its Portsmouth Site in Ohio and its office in Lexington, Kentucky.
Watch a video on the launch of the Feds Feed Families drive from U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
For questions, contact Bell at [email protected] or the DOE Feds Feed Families team at [email protected].