Maryland residents in need: ANCOC students assist with food drive

Soldiers from the Signal Corps Regimental Noncommissioned Officer Academy gathered at the Fort George G. Meade Commissary Aug. 22, 2009, to assist with a post-wide food drive.

Responding to reports that Maryland food banks are under 50 percent inventory, the Soldiers, enrolled in the Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course, volunteered their time as part of a community assistance class project.

More than 25 boxes of nonperishable items were collected from shoppers as they left the store. Aca,!A"ItAca,!a,,cs important, especially today, to show that we can give back,Aca,!A? said Sgt. 1st Class Kimberly A. Green, a member of 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. Aca,!A"That we have a common interest, that we, too, are concerned.Aca,!A?

Volunteering in the community is a practice that is in keeping with Army values, according to Green.

Aca,!A"ItAca,!a,,cs giving of oneself selflessly,Aca,!A? said Green. Aca,!A"Once we got the word out, people responded in force. It was an honor to give our time, and at the end of the day we felt like we had really accomplished something.Aca,!A?

The NCOsAca,!a,,c efforts are part of a post-wide food drive, spearheaded by the installationAca,!a,,cs Directorate of Human Resources. The day before, 30 boxes of items and a pallet of canned goods were collected on post.

Aca,!A"We are supposed to help our fellow man when in need,Aca,!A? said Carl Russell, an employee at DHR, who supervised the collection. Aca,!A"Fort Meade pulls together for everybody, military and civilian. The people here believe in helping out the military and surrounding community.Aca,!A?

The food drive is a month-long event on post, which in turn is part of the fedsfeedfamilies.org drive. The increase in efforts by the organization resulted in an increase of donations of 27,654 pounds of goods in June to 167,475 pounds of goods in July.

Items needed are non-perishable food items such as, canned meats, grains and cereal; hygiene products including diapers, deodorants, feminine products, toilet paper, tissues, soap and toothpaste; and healthy non-perishable snack items for after school programs like applesauce, 100% juice only, vegetarian pasta sauce, granola/fruit bars, graham crackers, peanut butter and jelly.

Individuals wanting to donate can drop items at participating units, the commissary or during the case lot sale at the pavilion on Fort Meade from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sept. 3 and 4. Individuals or groups may also go to fedsfeedfamilies.org to find out more on how to organize their own drives.