JBA Commissary supports food banks

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class J.D. Maidens
  • 11th Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. --  The Commissary on Joint Base Andrews, Md. has been collecting food for a local food bank as part of the Defense Commissary Agency's Feds Feed Families campaign.

JBA contributed over 2,000 pounds of food for the food bank program from the summer to the end of 2015.

"JBA feels a strong sense of responsibility to the local community we rely on," said Capt. Carlos Cueto Diaz, liaison for the food bank program. "Facilitating food donations to families in need helps us serve that responsibility."

During the 2015 campaign, which ran from July 15 through Oct. 2, military commissaries in the U.S. collected 49 percent of the Department of Defense's total of approximately 3.2 million pounds of food.

"We want to make a difference in the communities surrounding our stores," said Randy Eller, DeCA's deputy director of logistics. "And our patrons and employees help us do that."

Feds Feed Families launched in 2009 as part of President Barack Obama's United We Serve campaign. The effort was designed to help food banks and pantries stay stocked during summer months when they traditionally see a decrease in donations and an increase in need. Commissaries have served as collection points for six years.

Many stores featured donation packages for patrons to purchase and donate on the spot, in addition, patrons and employees could donate items brought from home or purchased at the commissary during normal shopping trips. As items were collected, installation officials worked with their commissary to deliver them to local food banks.

"2015 has been a record-breaking campaign year for us," Eller said. "Our customers should be really proud of the number of people who have been helped."

For more information on the Feds Feed Families campaign, visit the United States Department of Agriculture website.
JOINT BAS ANDREWS,
(This story used content from a Fort Lee article by the Defense Commissary Agency.)