Dear USDA Team,

As the Feds Feed Families summer food drive comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our nationwide USDA community for your generosity. The campaign provides a valuable way for our USDA workforce to get involved by joining other federal departments in a collaborative humanitarian effort. I am proud that USDA led the call which you all answered this year. Food security is not only the mission of FFF, it is also a key priority for USDA as we work to strengthen food security, drive down hunger and put a greater emphasis on the importance of nutrition.

Since launching the 2021 food drive in June, USDA employees across the country have recorded donations of nearly 585,000 pounds of food. Across the federal government, the food drive raised more than 6.5 million pounds of food this year.[i] I am proud of your support for people who face food insecurity.

This was another challenging year, and we had strong leadership for Feds Feed Families with Christa Speekmann, APHIS’s assistant director for International Technical and Regulatory Capacity Building, as the national chair. Christa and the national team improved the FFF Hub, which expanded the reach of the campaign and made it easier to participate and record donations, and saved time and resources as we give back to those in need. The FFF Hub is a year-round resource and I encourage you to continue giving if you are able to because we know that hunger and food insecurity is year-round problem. 

I would also like to thank USDA Feds Feed Families co-chairs, Lianne Hibbert and Lula Wallace, for leading USDA’s efforts. Lianne and Lula envisioned the first ever FFF USDA Day of Giving on Aug. 10, which recorded more than 69,597 pounds of food donations. USDA employees from coast to coast implemented creative ideas, such as Stuff the Truck, to encourage food donations that supported local food banks and pantries.

While our summer of giving is winding down, there are ways to give year-round. You may:

• Continue recording donations on the FFF Hub—You may still participate and record donations using the recording form on the Feds Feed Families Recording and Results page all year long.
• Fight hunger during harvest season—You may continue to record gleaning and plant-a-row contributions using the recording form on the Feds Feed Families Recording and Results page. Please remember to follow public health guidance for in-person activities.
• Make a Combined Federal Campaign “two-for-one” contribution. The CFC giving season is September through January. If you donate to a food bank or pantry through CFC, you can also record that donation using the recording form on the Feds Feed Families Recording and Results page.

Again, I applaud the USDA community for your contributions and generosity and for helping solve one of the most important problems we face today.

Secretary Vilsack

[i] Numbers based on reporting to FFF Hub website as of Monday, Aug. 31.