Commissary shoppers and employees led this year's Department of Defense contributions to the annual Feds Feed Families campaign by collecting nearly 2.3 million pounds of food and personal hygiene items.
The previous donation record for Defense Commissary Agency donations was 1.6 million pounds in 2015, according to a DeCA release.
Through Feds Feed Families, federal employees help food banks and pantries stay stocked during summer months when the need for donations is at its greatest. This year's campaign officially ran from June 1 to July 31, but D0D agencies could include all of their donations collected from Jan. 1 to Aug. 14. DeCA's participation represented almost 90 percent of DOD's total donation of more than 2.5 million pounds.
Commissaries began annual food collection drive, Feds Feed Families
"It was only through the generosity of our employees an customers," said Randy Eller, DeCA's director of logistics. "Every year they really step up and get the job done in terms of donations. “
Last year, DeCA collected more than 753,000 pounds of donations, about 73 percent of the over 1 million pounds collected by DoD, according to the release. For the first time this year, the DoD delegated DeCA to lead the campaign.
In the commissary, prepackaged bags filled with DeCA's Freedom's Choice store brand items were available for purchase. After purchasing the bag, patrons simply dropped it in a donation box or left it with the cashier.
"The commissaries sold a little over 27,000 bags and this is absolutely fantastic," added Eller.You can now buy a mask at most commissaries
You can now buy maks at most commissaries
Commissaries also accepted unopened, sealed donations brought from home, or patrons and employees could purchase individual items in the store. Once the donations were collected, the commissary and their installation worked together to get them to a local food bank or pantry.
Throughout the year, commissaries also donate edible but unsellable products to local food banks and pantries around the country through DeCA's food donation program.