Top, l: Tonya Lee of ORS adds another can to a box headed for the Capital Area Food Bank as part of the Feds Feed Families campaign, while co-worker Pam Jenkins holds up one of many signs posted around campus. The campaign lasts at NIH until Aug. 25. Top, r: Woodrow “Spike” Harrison of NIH’s Plant Management Team helps a generous NIH employee with her donations while LaTonya Ricks of ORS looks on. Harrison goes around campus several times a week to round up donations to the food bank.

Just for a minute, imagine that you have no food at your house, and it’s not by choice. Your children are hungry and you have nothing to feed them. This is the situation many of our metropolitan neighbors face every day, particularly as unemployment remains high and children are home for summer vacation.

Lee helps NLM’s Sonya Shooshan drop off her donations during a “Fill the Truck” campaign event. Cereal, pasta and canned goods seem to be popular donation items. Photos: Ernie Branson, Valerie Lambros

For this reason, NIH is working with the Capital Area Food Bank for the second year in a row as part of the government-wide Feds Feed Families campaign to collect canned and boxed food and beverages, as well as needed hygiene products such as soap, toothpaste, tissues and shampoo.

The goal is to collect 13,000 pounds of donations this year, a 2,000-pound increase over last year’s NIH goal. The food drive lasts through the end of August.

“The statistics are really surprising,” said Tonya Lee, who is coordinating the NIH effort. “Most people, when they think of someone needing to visit a food bank, it’s because they’re homeless, but that’s not the case. Most of the food bank’s clients own their own homes but have run into problems. They’ve lost lambrostheir jobs, they’re close to losing their houses, their kids are home for the summer and aren’t able to eat school-provided breakfasts and lunches. It’s heartbreaking.”

Lee and her colleagues from ORS plan to keep the campaign visible on campus until NIH’s Aug. 25 deadline. The final opportunity to “Fill the Truck” will be that morning in front of Bldg. 1 from 7 to 9:30. Drop-off boxes at the 9 locations around campus and 19 off-campus sites will continue to receive donations through the close of business that day.

For a list of needed items, see the Feds Feed Families link at www.ors.od.nih.gov.—Valerie Lambros