If last year is any indication of the FAA’s level of commitment to helping members of our community who are food insecure, federal employees certainly know how to give. Last year, during the pandemic the FAA had a goal of donating 25,000 pounds of food. Not surprisingly, the FAA came in first among all participating federal agencies, delivering 36,180 pounds of donated food. To better help our neighbors, the goal has been raised for 2021 to collect 75,000 pounds of food.

The Feds Feeds Families (FFF) 2021 Virtual Campaign is already underway and will continue until Tuesday, August 31, 2021. This year’s campaign theme is United Against Hunger.

The FFF is a voluntary government-wide campaign that is open to all federal employees, including their friends and families. Everyone is encouraged to give (in-kind) in whatever way you choose - be it donating food items, or volunteering time to serve at a local food bank.

Need ideas for how to get involved? Here are 8 different ways to participate:

1. Become a FFF Champion
   Anyone can do this. It’s about encouraging your coworkers to voluntarily participate by giving donations of food, services or time. Be sure to follow the agency’s guidelines regarding employee participation.
2. Find a Food Pantry or Food Bank and donate online or in person
   You can purchase food online and have it delivered directly to the food bank or food pantry. You can also drop off food donations at your local food pantry or food bank. Be sure to record your donation into the FFF Hub.
3. Volunteer Your Own Time
   You can grow your own produce and donate it through Plant-a-Row. Whether it’s through a neighborhood garden or orchard or farm, you can donate harvest produce to help food distribution.
4. Host or Attend a Virtual Food Drive Event
   While this might be a little more challenging while everyone is still in telework status, it is not impossible. You and your colleagues can meet online to learn about food insecurity in our community and educate yourself about ways to help. If you need ideas, please visit the FFF Events Handbook.
5. Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)
   Don’t forget that you can always donate to the food bank or pantry through the CFC (September-January giving season). Whether you donate money or volunteer your time, each will be converted into pounds of food donated.
6. Plant-a-Row
   If desired, you can plant an extra row of product in your own garden or harvest unwanted produce from neighborhood gardens and orchards and donate to local food banks or pantries. Be sure to weigh the product and record your donation on the FFF Hub site.


Growing your own vegetables in your backyard is a great way to give back to your community. You control what goes into your food and it doesn’t get much fresher than walking 25 feet from the garden to the kitchen.

7. Warehouse Gleaning
   Warehouse gleaning is a method of volunteering to sort and package food donations at a food bank or panty. Gleaning is accomplished on your own time. You might weigh cans of food or sort produce.
8. Field Gleaning
   Field gleaning means harvesting unused or unharvested produce. You can search for gleaning opportunities in your community, an activity that you can do on your own time. You can learn more about gleaning by visiting the USDA Gleaning Toolkit.

As a reminder, the FFF Hub is a one-stop location for campaign information, Q&A’s, promotional tools and resources, learn how to give your services, volunteer time or get involved. Be sure to record your donations and watch the FAA’s donations grow.

For more information, please visit FedsFeedFamilies (open in the Google Chrome web browser for best results).