NNSA Production Office employees deliver food to the Second Harvest facility in Maryville that serves a multi-county area of East Tennessee. Shown from left to right are Jim Goss, Julieanne Rendon, Donna Riggs, Rebekah Nwangwa, Ken Rhyne, James Piatek, Mark Sundie, and Steven Wyatt. (Photo courtesy NPO)
Employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office, or NPO, have donated 17,348 pounds of food as part of the annual U.S. Department of Energy’s “Feds Feed Families” campaign. The campaign, which ended on Sept. 6, surpassed the goal of 17,000 pounds.
“I am extremely proud and moved by the generosity of NPO employees,” said Steve Erhart, NNSA Production Office manager. “Each year, the Feds Feed Families food drive reminds us there are people in our own communities who go to bed hungry. Serving our country starts at home, and that is what this effort is all about.”
The NPO donations are supporting the efforts of the High Plains Food Bank in Amarillo, Texas, and the Second Harvest Food Bank in Maryville, Tenn.
The Feds Feed Families campaign is a voluntary effort undertaken by federal employees across the country to provide non-perishable food items to local food banks. Since the start of this effort five years ago, Federal employees have donated more than 15 million pounds of food to support families across America. Every month, local food banks help thousands of people, including the elderly, handicapped people, and children. During the summer, the numbers swell to include school children who no longer have access to free breakfast and lunches.
“Donations from this year’s Feds Feed Families Campaign have already touched many lives throughout the Texas Panhandle,” said Broc Carter, High Plains Food Bank director of communications, “and we appreciate the generosity and continued support of the NNSA Production Office employees. Their generous donations are shared with our partnering organizations including churches, day care facilities, and senior citizen’s centers.”
“We are extremely grateful to the NNSA Production Office for their large donations of food, especially during the summer months because this is the leanest time of the year for us,” said Elaine Streno, Second Harvest Food Bank executive director. “We are also grateful that their effort is bringing awareness to the hunger struggle in our community and across East Tennessee.”
The mission of the NNSA Production Office is to ensure the safe, secure, and cost-effective operation of the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.
