NEWS RELEASE

Defense Commissary Agency

Corporate Communications

1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, VA 23801-1800

Tel: (804) 734-8000, Ext. 8-6105  DSN: 687-8000, Ext. 8-6105

FAX: (804) 734-8248 DSN: 687-8248

www.commissaries.com

Release Number:         56-18                                                                                                                       

Date:                              August 16, 2018

Media Contact:             Kevin L. Robinson, public affairs specialist

Tel.:                                (804) 734-8000, Ext. 4-8773

E-mail:                           kevin.robinson@deca.mil

Feds Feed Families

Stateside commissaries serve as collection points

By Mike Perron,

DeCA public affairs specialist

Note: To see photos related to Feds Feed Families, go to

https://www.flickr.com/photos/commissary/sets/72157670222779617

FORT LEE, Va. – Commissaries are again serving as common collection points for 2018’s Feds Feed Families campaign, which began Aug. 10 this year, and continues through Oct. 15 at participating stateside military installations.

During this campaign, participating installations help collect items most needed by food pantries and then donate them to area food banks. 2018 marks the ninth consecutive year commissaries have participated.

“It started with the local area food banks just in the D.C. area. It was only for them,” explained Randy Eller, chief of the Defense Commissary Agency’s U.S. distribution, equipment, property and recycling division. “The Pentagon and all those people would participate, and they would put out boxes so people would donate. They got us interested, and we took it from the capital area and put it in every commissary we have in the United States.”

Overall, the Department of Defense collected 2.6 million pounds of grocery items for donation last year.

“For their part, commissary employees and patrons collected 1.5 million pounds, or 60 percent of the total DOD donation,” said Eller. “DeCA’s 2017 total increased by 480,000 pounds from 2016. We’ve got it down to a fine art now. After you get past the first couple of times it’s pretty smooth, and the stores are used to doing it.”

Once the items have been collected, installation officials work with their commissary to deliver the items to local food banks.

The most-needed items for donations include:

• Canned vegetables – low sodium, no salt
• Canned fruits – in light syrup or its own juices
• Canned proteins – tuna, salmon, chicken, peanut butter and beans
• Soups – beef stew, chili, chicken noodle, turkey or rice
• Condiments – tomato-based sauces, light soy sauce, ketchup, mustard, salad dressing or oils
• Snacks – individually packed snacks, crackers, trail mix, dried fruit, granola and cereal bars, pretzels and sandwich crackers
• Multigrain cereal
• 100 percent juice – all sizes, including juice boxes
• Grains – brown and white rice, oatmeal, bulgar, quinoa, couscous, pasta, and macaroni and cheese
• Paper products and household items – paper towels, napkins and cleaning supplies
• Hygiene items – diapers, deodorants (men and women), feminine products, toilet paper, tissues, soap, toothpaste and shampoo

For more information on this campaign, go to the United States Department of Agriculture website, www.usda.gov/fedsfeedfamilies.

-DeCA-

This article originally appeared on www.commissaries.com