As an employee of the Food & Nutrition Service, I see firsthand the war that is waged on hunger every single day. The number of families across the country that are food insecure is cause for concern, but we are working daily to reduce those numbers. And it’s working. Starting with generous donations of food and funds supplied through numerous federal feeding programs, people nationwide are privy to not just any food, but healthy, nutritious food.
And it happens on the local level as well. In the Southwest Region of the United States, there are local partners fighting hunger in fresh and innovative ways, seeing to it that the graciously donated food items make it to as many families in need as possible.
Federal employees also work on the front lines to help in every way we can. Armed with knowledge and determination, a group of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) specialists, directors, and employees recently joined faithful volunteers at the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas. Based on distribution, The North Texas Food Bank is ranked eighth nationally, allocating food to 25,000 people a day – totaling more than 45 million meals in 2010!
And our efforts don’t stop there. Next fiscal quarter we plan on volunteering at the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, Texas; a place near and dear to my heart as I have blogged on their partnership donor meetings in the past.
Being a part of this effort was an invaluable experience that my co-workers and I thoroughly enjoyed. Working outside of the office for a great cause is an office field trip we plan to make a habit, and you should, too. To learn more about what we do, and how you can get involved, follow USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service on Twitter.
Keep your eyes peeled for more updates in the future!
