Malmstrom teams up with local food bank for Feds Feed Families campaign

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joshua Smoot
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Members of the Malmstrom Air Force Base community have partnered with the St. Vincent de Paul food bank to help collect food and non-perishable items as part of the Feds Feed Families campaign.

The Feds Feed Families campaign is a federal campaign in which volunteers gather items to help families who are struggling with poverty.

The campaign officially kicked-off June 1 and will run through Aug. 27.

Along with the help from the Malmstrom Commissary, the base has already collected 4,900 pounds of food and other non-perishable items in their first year as part of the campaign.

"Forty-six and a half million people lived in poverty in the U.S. in 2012. That's 15 percent of the population," said Chaplain (Capt.) Keith Manry, 341st Missile Wing chaplain. "In 2012, one in six people faced hunger."

People interested in donating to the food bank can bring non-perishable food items and place them into a designated collection box located at the commissary. The commissary also offers a $10 bag that can be purchased for anyone interested in donating to the campaign. Items can also be brought from home.

"People can donate almost anything," said Jerry Contreras, Malmstrom Commissary store director. "Not only do people need food, but they also need hygiene products, diapers and things like that."

The food is then collected at the commissary weekly by St. Vincent de Paul. From there, recipients fill out a list of items they need and volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul food bank gather the items and place them into carts.

This year, St. Vincent de Paul food bank has gathered over 169,000 pounds of food for over 1,700 families.

Since the Feds Feed Families campaign began in 2009, federal workers have donated and collected 24.1 million pounds of food and other non-perishable items to support families across America, according to USDA.gov. Last year the program raised over nine million pounds.

"Even though the campaign ends Aug. 27, the need for food does not," Manry said. "Our relationship with St. Vincent de Paul food bank is going to continue."

"If people continue to show interest in donating, we will continue to leave the donation box out for people to leave items," Contreras added.