Agency Fights Hunger by Donating 85,190 Pounds of Goods to Local Communities

Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and Joint Force Headquarters – Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DODIN) employees across the globe participated in the 2016 Feds Feed Families (FFF) campaign, donating a total of 85,190 pounds of food and other items to local charities between June 10 and Aug. 31.

The agency doubled its initial goal, which was to collect 40,000 pounds of food this year. In fact, the agency surpassed its record-setting total from 2015, which came in at 25,965 pounds.

“The Feds Feed Families campaign has been one of the most rewarding projects I have ever had the pleasure of volunteering for in my life,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Michelle Lee Miller, the 2016 DISA FFF campaign chair. “By actually going to a farm and picking vegetables from a field knowing it’s going to feed hungry people later that day was eye opening. It has been an honor being the chairperson for this campaign and I would do it all over again.”

Contributions from employees stationed at Headquarters on Fort Meade, Maryland, totaled 77,416 pounds. Contributions from field activities totaled 7,774 pounds.

At Headquarters, the Resource Management Center collected the largest amount of donations, with a total of 30,830 pounds. Among agency field activities, the DISA Global Operations Command (DISA Global) at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, collected the most, with donations totaling 2,782 pounds.

“We surpassed our goal within the second week of the campaign,” said Army Col. Paul G. Craft, DISA Global commander. “By the end of the campaign, we collected five times the original goal.”

The agency also had several individuals and a group who made platinum- and gold-level donations to the campaign. Platinum-level contributors are those individuals who donated 1,000 pounds or more, and gold-level contributors are those individuals who donated 500 pounds or more.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Shane Uras, future operations planner with JFHQ-DODIN, stressed the importance of giving back to our local communities and how proud he is to be a part of an agency that contributes.

“It definitely says a lot about the individuals within both DISA and JFHQ-DODIN who make a continuous effort to help those who are not as fortunate … and for those who have fallen on hard times. I am proud to say that I am a part of an organization where people take the time out of their busy schedules to support such a meaningful cause,” said Uras.

In addition to the generous donations by individuals, there were several activities and events that helped to boost the agency’s FFF efforts:

• On July 23, employees, along with family and friends, from various directorates spent a Saturday gleaning — collecting left over crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested. They worked in shifts sorting and bagging squash. They gleaned 959 pounds of food.

• DISA and JFHQ-DODIN represented three out of the 10 teams at the FFF Golf Tournament in Bristow, Virginia, July 30. Although the teams did not win, they successfully collected 2,000 pounds of food.

• On Aug. 12, employees from various directorates participated in a chili cook-off. More than 250 pounds of food was donated during the event.

• DISA employees who are active members of the nine historically African-American Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities came together Aug. 20 to collect and donate 467 school supplies, resulting in a 212 pound donation.

Bragg, who is a FFF platinum donor, looks forward to the FFF campaign each year.

“Serving others is something you do from the heart and is a labor of love. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,’” said Bragg.

Published September 27, 2016