Helping our neighbors by filling their plates
2016-09-06
Nearly one in five Galveston County residents need emergency food assistance during the year, and many find themselves having to make hard choices between paying for food, rent, transportation or medicine.
This year, Johnson Space Center partnered with the Galveston County Food Bank and the Clear Lake Food Pantry for the annual JSC Feeds Families food drive. Sharon Edmond, administrative officer for Aircraft Operations Division, was this year’s JSC food drive coordinator.
JSC’s donation goal this year was to reach 50,000 pounds. All the directorates and contractors blew away Edmond's expectations by donating 63,472 pounds of food and other necessities.
At the culminating Stuff the Truck event at the Gilruth Center on Aug. 31, JSC volunteers filled two large trucks with food and pantry staples for local families in need.
Food bank representatives indicated that the need is especially acute this year due to the catastrophic flooding in Louisiana this summer. Many families have temporarily relocated to Houston and Galveston to put their children in school while they work to rebuild their homes. JSC donations will help feed families during the upcoming holiday season, too, when children are home and the need is the highest.
The CA directorate took the top spot this year with 11,181 pounds of donations, with EA a close second at 10,722 pounds. Jacobs Engineering, a JSC contractor, partnered with local grocery store H-E-B. Jacobs raised $4,331 in donations and, working with H-E-B, sent 8,773 pounds of food directly from the store to the food bank.
Edmond said that coordinating the food drive was a lot of work, but she couldn’t be more proud of the results. She is also a child advocate for Casa de Esperanza de los Niños—the House of Hope for Children. For Edmond, caring for children and their families is one of the best ways to help her community.
“Feeding hungry tummies is what it’s all about,” Edmond said.
For more information or to volunteer, contact the Galveston County Food Bank.
Michelle Fraser-Page
NASA Johnson Space Center
This year, Johnson Space Center partnered with the Galveston County Food Bank and the Clear Lake Food Pantry for the annual JSC Feeds Families food drive. Sharon Edmond, administrative officer for Aircraft Operations Division, was this year’s JSC food drive coordinator.
JSC’s donation goal this year was to reach 50,000 pounds. All the directorates and contractors blew away Edmond's expectations by donating 63,472 pounds of food and other necessities.
At the culminating Stuff the Truck event at the Gilruth Center on Aug. 31, JSC volunteers filled two large trucks with food and pantry staples for local families in need.
Food bank representatives indicated that the need is especially acute this year due to the catastrophic flooding in Louisiana this summer. Many families have temporarily relocated to Houston and Galveston to put their children in school while they work to rebuild their homes. JSC donations will help feed families during the upcoming holiday season, too, when children are home and the need is the highest.
The CA directorate took the top spot this year with 11,181 pounds of donations, with EA a close second at 10,722 pounds. Jacobs Engineering, a JSC contractor, partnered with local grocery store H-E-B. Jacobs raised $4,331 in donations and, working with H-E-B, sent 8,773 pounds of food directly from the store to the food bank.
Edmond said that coordinating the food drive was a lot of work, but she couldn’t be more proud of the results. She is also a child advocate for Casa de Esperanza de los Niños—the House of Hope for Children. For Edmond, caring for children and their families is one of the best ways to help her community.
“Feeding hungry tummies is what it’s all about,” Edmond said.
For more information or to volunteer, contact the Galveston County Food Bank.
Michelle Fraser-Page
NASA Johnson Space Center
