Feds Feed Families 2023: Fight Hunger with Johnson

2023-07-24

NASA Johnson Space Center’s 2023 Feds Feed Families (FFF) campaign kicks off on July 24 and continues through Aug 25. This year, there is a greater need for food donations due to the post-COVID-19 impacts of inflation on families. Did you know that Texas has one of the highest hunger rates in the nation? 13.7% of Texans of all ages are in need of food. In addition to this increase in demand, food donations are traditionally down during the summer months. Contending with all these factors, Johnson’s participation in FFF 2023 is needed now more than ever. And, as a community, we can make a profound difference for Houston and Galveston families during this time.

To make giving easy, the 2023 campaign is being carried out virtually and in person.

How to Donate
As always, your participation is entirely voluntary. If you choose to participate, the following are ways in which you can contribute:

Donate online by purchasing food (reference the list at right and bottom) via an online grocer and have it delivered/shipped to your local food bank or pantry.
Drop off donations at your local pantry.
Plant a row. Plant an extra row of food in your garden or harvest unwanted produce from neighborhood gardens and donate to local food banks or pantries.
Participate in warehouse or field gleaning.

To locate a local food bank or pantry that accepts online food and household donations, visit https://ampleharvest.org/find-pantry/. Galveston county food bank donations can be made here: https://www.galvestoncountyfoodbank.org/donation-now/

Volunteers convene for a group photo at the stuff-the-truck event for the Galveston County Food Bank on September 15, 2022, in the Gilruth Center parking lot. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz — *Volunteers convene for a group photo at the stuff-the-truck event for the Galveston County Food Bank on Sept. 15, 2022, in the Gilruth Center parking lot.* ***Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz***

Record Your Donation
Once donations are made, record your donation using the online self-reporting tool found at FFF Hub. All donations will be tracked by Johnson’s FFF chair. At the hub, learn more about getting involved, locating gleaning events, and sharing success stories.

Please note that federal ethics regulations prohibit FFF coordinators from soliciting monetary donations directly for pantries or food banks. However, if an employee makes an unsolicited monetary donation to a food bank or food pantry, the employee can record their gift to the FFF Hub by selecting drop-down option, “Unsolicited monetary donation to hunger organization.” Monetary donations are converted to pounds of food at a rate of five pounds per dollar donated.

Help Us Reach Our Goal
Johnson aims to collect at least 100,000 pounds of perishable food and household items for pantries and food banks in our local area. Think - that amount of food roughly equals six adult elephants. But, if everyone contributes a few pounds, the goal is easily met.

Stuff the Truck: Aug 25
The campaign will include a drive-by, stuff-the-truck event at Gilruth Center on Friday, Aug 25, for the Galveston County Food Bank. Your food and household donations will go straight from your trunk to the large food bank truck.

So, start shopping online or scouring your pantries, itemizing your grocery lists, and planning. It took a team to get NASA to the Moon — and it will take the same to feed local communities in need.

Snapshot Your Stories
During the campaign, we encourage people to take and share photos when donating food, planting a row, or volunteering at a food bank. One idea: Hold a sign showing your organization’s name or code when taking the photo. Spark some friendly competition that benefits the community!

Stay tuned for ways you will be able to share your stories and photos.

Donation ideas for the 2023 Feds Feed Families food drive.