PPPO Supports Fundraisers, Food Drives for Feds Feed Families

Personnel at the Portsmouth Site donated food to build an American flag in support of the Feds Feed Families campaign using 479 cans of soup and 49 boxes of pasta. From left: Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Program Engineer Tracey Duncan, Federal Project Director Christy Brown and Infrastructure Project Manager Dee Powell.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) Portsmouth Paducah Project Office (PPPO) recently hosted fundraisers and food drives to help stock local food pantries through Feds Feed Families, an annual campaign led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We strive to maintain strong, cooperative relationships with our communities, and Feds Feed Families is just one of the ways we can help,” PPPO Manager Joel Bradburne said. “I am grateful for all the support our workforce provided for the program this year.”

In Lexington, employees collected more than 5,000 pounds of food for food banks such as God’s Pantry Food Bank. They arranged soup cans and pasta boxes in the shape of an American flag as part of the effort.

Network Engineer Intern Trenton Jones with the Paducah Site showcases a cake to audience members during the Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership Cake Auction to raise funds for Feds Feed Families.

Environmental Health & Safety Intern Jaden Mott grills hamburgers at the Paducah Site as part of the “Picnic on the Patio” fundraiser for the Feds Feed Families campaign.

At the Paducah Site in Kentucky, interns with Enterprise Technical Assistance Services (ETAS), the PPPO technical support services contractor, participated in four separate fundraisers over two weeks to raise money and awareness for the campaign. They raised $4,261, surpassing their goal of $2,500.

“It was eye-opening to learn the significant impact these fundraisers have on our community,” ETAS Visual Communications Intern Tori Vukadinovich said. “I enjoyed being a part of the team we had organizing the fundraisers and contributing to such an important cause.”

EM and Paducah Site contractors participated in activities to gather food and funding for Feds Feed Families. Total donations exceeded $33,000, equivalent to more than 167,000 pounds of food. All proceeds generated at the Paducah Site went to 11 local nonprofits in Ballard, Graves, Marshall, and McCracken counties in Kentucky, and Massac County in Illinois.

Project Support Employee Brianna Charles, left, and Contracts Administrator Shana Lawhorn with Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth sell tickets for the Feds Feed Families lottery pig raffle in front of the fundraiser lunch tent at the Portsmouth Site Health and Safety Fair.

Food donations of soup and pasta, constructed in the shape of an American flag, stand in the Portsmouth Paducah Project Office in Lexington as part of a Feds Feed Families food drive.

At the Portsmouth Site in Ohio, EM employees worked with contractors on several fundraisers, including an ice cream social and lunches.

“We have focused on working together as a Portsmouth Site instead of as individual companies for Feds Feed Families,” Portsmouth Site Feds Feed Families Coordinator Dee Powell said. “It has generated better results in our efforts and increased camaraderie.”

Personnel provided nonperishable food items to help construct an American flag in the X-3000 Building entrance at the Portsmouth Site. They created the flag with 479 cans of soup and 49 boxes of pasta.

Team members held a cookout at the annual Health and Safety Fair for all Portsmouth Site employees. They raised more than $2,500 to support Veterans Care Network, which provides resources to veterans and their families in need in Pike, Ross, Jackson and Scioto counties.

EM personnel also collaborated with site contractors to create a piggy bank stuffed with gift cards, cash and other items. They sold tickets at locations throughout the Portsmouth Site, with the winner drawn at the Health and Safety Fair.

-Contributors: Zachary Boyarski, Melissa Green