FEDS Feed Families big success at AEDC Published Sept. 16, 2011 By Shawn Jacobs AEDC/PA Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. -- Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) personnel and other volunteers donated a total of 1,635 pounds of food for this year's Feds Feed Families food drive, which concluded Aug. 31. The campaign, with the theme "Feeding Families One Fed at a Time," was coordinated by AEDC's Junior Force Council (JFC), which donated the food items to Good Samaritan Food Pantries of Tullahoma and Manchester. "I think I speak on behalf of all the volunteers when I say that this was an extremely humbling experience," JFC President Carrie Reinholtz, a project manager in the Test Technology Branch, said. "Reminding us to be thankful for the ability to provide shelter and food to our own families is something we sometimes take for granted. There are significantly large numbers of individuals and families in our surrounding communities who don't have the same luxury, given the current economic climate." The Feds Feed Families campaign is an outgrowth of the United We Serve Act, signed into law almost two years ago by President Obama. The Department of Defense (DOD) took a leading role in the nationwide campaign challenging federal employees to donate to their local food pantries. "Food bank volunteers have expressed their heartfelt gratitude and reiterate that our contributions are appreciated," Reinholtz said. "Despite the delay in getting this initiated, we collected 1,635 pounds, exceeding totals from larger bases in the surrounding area and solidifying the caring culture of AEDC family members." Reinholtz said, even though the DOD spearheaded the effort, all base employees - military, civilian and contractor - and veterans and visitors were invited to participate in the campaign. The DOD goal was 733,800 pounds of food, but more than 1.9 million pounds was actually collected nationwide. The overall national goal for all federal employees was 2 million pounds.