Marines

MCIEAST supports local communities through food drive

4 Aug 2016 | Lance Cpl. Sean Berry Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

Every year the Department of Defense supports the Feds Feed Families food drive started by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide support to the communities surrounding Marine Corps Installations.

"The DOD kicks off this annual food drive, and it runs in June, July and August every year," said Cmdr. Stephen S. Duesenberry, deputy command Chaplain for Marine Corps Installations East. "Every dollar that’s donated to the campaign, the DOD gives five pounds of food to local food banks."

In 2015, the campaign raised over 13,500 pounds in food for food banks in the Marine Corps Installations – East community. As of July 20, they’ve donated over 15,000 pounds that goes to families that are in new in the community.

"I think the fact that we’re already up to 15,000 pounds is amazing," said Duesenberry. "It shows the caring and support from the military community for those who are in our local civilian communities."

Those who want to donate food can go through the chapels on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River. Donors can also purchase bags of food from the base commissaries as a donation to the campaign.

"We’re really tight knit with our local community," said Duesenberry. "So I think it’s an opportunity for us as military members to look outside of ourselves at the needs of the local community and do what we can to help them out."

For more information on the Feds Feed Families campaign, contact the Chaplain’s Office at 451-8691.