Feds feed families Published July 20, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Mariah Tolbert 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- A canned food drive is being held at the base commissary here until August 31, to help support local food banks. The third annual "Feds Feed Families" food drive campaign formed through a partnership of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the Chief Human Capital Officers Council, in response to President Obama's 2009 "United We Serve Act." This "United We Serve Act" asks all Americans to contribute to the recovery of our nation's economy by serving their communities. This year's goal is to reach two million pounds of goods; however the Department of Defense pledged to collect 733,800 pounds, and asked all commissaries and federal employees participate. Last year, federal employees donated 1.7 million pounds of nonperishable goods. Seymour Johnson partnered up with The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina who have more than 800 partner agencies that assist in more than 34 counties throughout North Carolina, said Master Sgt. Misty M. Plott, 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron material management flight superintendent as well as the lead for the "2011 Feds Feed Families" program on base. The items collected will help benefit agencies in Goldsboro such as The House of Fordham, The Salvation Army of Goldsboro and The Help and Hope Ministries. "Goldsboro and the surrounding communities do a great job at taking care of us, let's return the favor!" Plott said. This program focuses mainly on feeding children in need of food who are out of school for the summer. "No school means no meals for more than 270,000 kids in our local communities," Plott said. "It breaks my heart to know that we are all over the world helping different nations, when there are children going to bed starving here." Most wanted items for the program include; canned fruits and vegetables, multigrain cereals, grains, canned proteins, soups, 100 percent juice, condiments, snacks, paper products and household items, and hygiene items. The commissary set up a box for donated goods and is also asking vendors to donate palates of nonperishable goods to the program, said Eddie Flemming, the commissary produce manager . "We may be a small commissary, but we don't want to fall short," Flemming said. "We won't be turning any food down." The commissary is open Tuesday-Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is closed Monday. However the workers at the commissary will be more than willing to open the door for anyone dropping goods off, if they come by when it is closed, Flemming said. So far the DoD has collected more than 12,500 pounds of food, while Seymour Johnson has collected more than 200 pounds of food in one week. "By working together and getting the word out about this food drive, I know the 4th Fighter Wing can put a dent in the DoD's goal of 733,800," Plott said. For more information about the "Feds Feed Families" program; call Master Sgt. Misty Plott at (919) 722-3578.