FIGHTING FOOD INSECURITY: DOD, DeCA set new records in 2024 in national Feds Feed Families donation campaign

FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) annual Feds Feed Families campaign, held this year from June 24 through Sept. 30, ended with more than 12 million pounds of goods donated to food banks across the nation, marking an increase of more than 2 million pounds over 2023's total.

Each year, the Feds Feed Families campaign encourages employees from across the federal government to donate to stateside food banks and pantries. This is the fifth year that the Department of Defense (DOD) has designated the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) as its overall campaign leader.

"None of this is possible without teams working diligently across the Department of Defense and at commissaries," said Keith Laughinghouse, DeCA's Feds Feed Families project officer and a commissary management specialist. "With the support and generosity of commissary patrons, DOD and DeCA employees, we crushed last year's food donation totals. An awesome job!"

Laughinghouse said during 2024 federal departments and agencies received donations of about 12.1 million pounds of food, an increase of more than 21 percent over last year. Of those donations, DOD contributed 6.1 million pounds or 51 percent, an increase of more than 3.4 percent from last year. DeCA's share of DOD's total was 4.3 million pounds or 71 percent, which equates to a total increase of more than 4.9 percent from last year.

Participating stateside military installations helped collect items designated as "most needed" by food pantries. Commissary customers and employees in these communities participated by purchasing needed food for donation while shopping at commissaries, or bringing items from home and placing them in donation bins at the store.

Once collected, local installation officials worked with the commissary to deliver the donations from all installation sources to local food banks.

According to the USDA, 13.5 percent of U.S. households were considered food insecure in 2023. Many households which experience food insecurity don't qualify for federal nutrition programs and rely on local food banks and other food programs for extra support.

"It's an honor - and truly a privilege - for us at DeCA to have been chosen to lead the Department of Defense's Feds Feed Families campaign again this year, and together set a new milestone," said Navy Command Master Chief Mario Rivers, senior enlisted advisor to DeCA's director.

"This is a duty we don't take lightly, and one that we're excited to embrace," he added. "Importantly, these donations remain in the areas where they are collected, allowing us one way to give back to the hundreds of communities that host defense installations here in the States."

-DeCA-

About DeCA:The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees, disabled veterans and other authorized patrons and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which supports the costs of building, modernizing and sustaining commissary facilities. A core military family support element and valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America's military services and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.