One in six Americans lives in hunger every day, as millions of Americans struggle to put food on the table for their families.
Traditionally, summer is a time when food banks and charities encounter decreases in donations and increases in the need for assistance.
To help ease this struggle, the U.S. Forest Service is joining with other USDA Agencies and federal employees in organizing food drives to benefit local food banks and charities across the country to keep families' cupboards and refrigerators stocked.
Last year, USDA led all federal contributions and donated 1.7 million pounds of food to this effort, including roughly 465,000 pounds of fresh vegetables and nonperishable food. Thousands of pounds of food were donated by Forest Service employees. This year, the USDA goal is to raise 500,000 pounds of food by August 31. To date, more than 100,000 pounds of food has been raised.
The Forest Service has set up food collection stations under the theme: "Food for the Great Outdoors". The agency is encouraging employees to share their stories or a memory about their favorite outdoor meal and adventure while donating healthy food. The hope is to rekindle memories of outdoor adventures and inspire employees to return to those healthy experiences while donating to those in need.
