COLUMBUS, Ohio –
Two rooms inside Defense Supply Center Columbus were briefly transformed into a display area for scale models of famous buildings and other 3D artwork – all made from non-perishable food items.
Employees at Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime and Defense Finance and Accounting Service spent the final days of August constructing themed creations in the annual “The Build” competition as part of the agencies’ Feds Feed Families campaign.
The national program encourages federal employees throughout the country to collect non-perishable items for food banks and shelters within their local communities. The items collected through DSCC’s three-month food drive will be donated to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank as part of their Operation Feed campaign.
The Build was the culminating event of the food drive which began in June, and awarded prizes in categories including American Landmark, Customer Spotlight, Most Creative, and Fan Favorite. Eleven teams participated, with more than 10,000 food items used to construct the sculptures.
Daniel Faltermaier, an accountant at DFAS and one of the campaign organizers said the food drive will significantly contribute to Ohio’s fight against hunger.
“DFAS Columbus donated more than 15,000 pounds of food items throughout the food drive,” Faltermaier said. “More than 6,000 pounds came from The Build, and another 9,000 pounds were generated through online donations, along with the rest donated at our collection points.”
A team from DFAS Training Procedures arranged cans of tuna and cans of chicken to recreate a character from a popular Disney movie. Their Feds Feed Shopper Minion was the Fan Favorite of all DFAS entries.
The DLA Land and Maritime’s Strategic Acquisitions Program Directorate team used a combination of canned items, boxed pasta, and graphic images to simulate the U.S. Capitol Building. The nine-person build team called the “Soup-a-Stars” won first place in the DLA Fan Favorite Category for their sculpture.
Joan Lloyd, executive director of the Mid-Ohio Food Bank said the cumulative donations of all organizations on DSCC will contribute to the creation of 30,475 meals.
Between the two largest agencies on the installation, DLA Land and Maritime narrowly defeated DFAS Columbus by a difference of only 80 pounds of donated items.
"The Build created a fun sense of competition and teamwork between organizations, and really showcased the creativity of the many people involved,” Kristin Molinaro, Feds Feed Family coordinator for DLA said. “More importantly, the competition generated thousands of dollars in donated food that will have a positive impact locally.
“That's something all of us in the federal community can be proud of."