Arnold JFC members provide food baskets for the holidays

  • Published
  • By Raquel March
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. --  Members of the Arnold Air Force Base Junior Force Council donated 22 food baskets for Coffee County families in need of Thanksgiving meals. The baskets weighed approximately 330 pounds.

Will Mallory, president of the JFC, was approached with the opportunity for giving to the Thanksgiving Food Basket Program by organizers of the Coffee County Backpack Program days before Thanksgiving, asking for specific food items for the holiday. AEDC team members' food donations were quickly collected.

"The JFC executed this effort in nine days from the time of receiving the notification of the food drive to the delivery of the completed baskets to the [Deerfield Elementary] school," Mallory said. "The response greatly exceeded all expectations and I would like to sincerely thank those who executed this event and who made donations."

The Backpack Program is a charity supported by the JFC and provides an opportunity for AEDC team members to get involved in the local community. The program provides food for students who may not have provisions during tough economic times. Before the weekend arrives, students in need of food receive a backpack with enough food to feed the child throughout the weekend, every weekend during the school year.

The Thanksgiving Food Basket Program is an extension of the Backpack Program. It provides enough food to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for the child's family, including a turkey.

The Junior Force Council provides the junior workforce with professional development opportunities and serves as a conduit between the junior workforce and senior leadership at AEDC.

"The JFC gets involved in community outreach so that its members have an avenue to give back to their community, but it's also a way to gain leadership experience, network and make significant impacts outside of their normal work duties," Mallory said.

-AEDC-