I am excited to announce the launch of a summer food drive in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Our area food banks are facing severe shortages of non-perishable goods. While demand has soared, the economic crisis has also dried up contributions. To address this summer’s urgent need for assistance to our community’s families, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is partnering with the Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCO) Council to lead the “Warm Up to Giving” food drive. This food drive will encourage area-based Federal employees to bring non-perishable food items to their offices on the last Friday of June, July and August for collection and delivery to the Capital Area Food Bank. The Capital Area Food Bank serves more than 700 food pantries, soup kitchens and other service organizations in the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland. Contributing to this centralized repository helps feed area families and communities.
I also encourage agencies to reach out to their regional and field operations offices, to encourage Federal employees outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to participate in a local food drive.
OPM will award the agency with the highest volume of donations per employee with a special event to be announced in forthcoming communications.
Linda Washington, CHCO for the Department of Transportation, is leading the planning on behalf of the Council. To support this effort, I ask that you identify an agency coordinator we can work with to plan this interagency food drive.
Please provide the name of your agency coordinator to Angela Graham Humes at angela.grahamhumes@opm.gov by this Friday, May 22, 2009. Our first food drive date is Friday, June 26, 2009. The second date is Friday, July 31, 2009 and the final date is Friday, August 28, 2009.
Any questions about this event may be directed to Sydney Smith-Heimbrock, Acting Executive Director of the CHCO Council, at Sydney.Smith-Heimbrock@opm.gov, or 202-606-2762. Once your coordinators are identified, I appreciate your active participation in this small way for the Federal workforce to give back to our community.
cc: Chief Human Capital Officers