Lahontan Basin Area Office Supports 5th Annual “Feds Feed Families” Food Drive

Written by: Lisa Navarro

From August 1 through October 2, 2015, the “Feds Feed Families” nationwide volunteer program brought together federal employees from various agencies in the Carson City, Nevada, area including the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA), the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Federal Highway Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Federal employees volunteered their time coordinating federal donations, staffing food drops at grocery stores and farmers markets, and competing in this year’s CAN-Town Construction Challenge. Participating in building CAN-Projects were Reclamation, USGS, and USDA.

Lahontan Basin Area Office’s Debi Blake, Water and Lands Assistant, volunteered at the Carson City Farmers Market, set up a canned food event in the federal building, and staffed a “Feds Feed Families” booth at the local Grocery Outlet. Her efforts helped Reclamation contribute a creative sculpture and win the challenge in the weight category, with 496 pounds of food donated to the cause!

The successful drive collected a total 4109 pounds of food (3,067 pounds from the farmers market plus 1,042 pounds from the combined federal drive) for two Carson City area non-profit food banks: “Ron Wood Family Resource Center” and “Friends In Service Helping.” These agencies serve more than 3,000 people monthly and 130,000 meals yearly. USGS collected 232 pounds and USDA collected 314 pounds. Many thanks to Debi Blake for leading LBAO’s efforts in this fruitful food drive!

Updated 12/10/15: To include 3,067 pounds collected from the farmers market.

Published on December 07, 2015