Press
NCUA food bank donations increase nearly $1,000 percent
ALEXANDRIA, VA (October 15, 2013) — In the coming months, more than 18,000 residents in the Washington metropolitan area will be sitting down to meals they might otherwise have missed, courtesy of National Credit Union Administration employees, who donated more than 22,000 pounds of food as part of the federal government’s annual Feds Feed Families food drive.
“The staff at NCUA really stepped up, and this year’s charity drive was nothing short of amazing,” NCUA Board Chairman Debbie Matz said. “In a time when food banks are reporting historically high levels of requests for help, NCUA staff responded to the need energetically and creatively. It’s a great feeling to know we’ve really helped alleviate hunger in the greater Washington area.”
NCUA’s 2013 donation is 961 percent larger than the agency’s contribution for the previous year. Donations go through Feds Feed Families to the Capital Area Food Bank.
To achieve the record-breaking results, several NCUA office directors offered to match staff contributions by as much as four to one. Some agency offices also focused on particular kinds of donations, such as organic food, ethnic food or food for young children.
NCUA’s Office of Public and Congressional Affairs with six staff members delivered more than 6,700 pounds of food. Close behind was the Office of Examination and Insurance, whose staff donated more than 5,800 pounds. Combined as one group, the NCUA Board and Office of the Executive Director gave nearly 1,900 pounds.
The Office of the Chief Economist, which focused on ethnic foods, contributed more than 2,000 pounds, and all six staff members reached donation levels that made them eligible for the Feds Feed Families Hall of Fame. The Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives worked with the local Whole Foods Market and gave nearly 1,000 pounds. A dollar-for-dollar match of contributions by management resulted in the Office of Inspector General donating more than 600 pounds.
The 22,068 pounds donated works out to 66 pounds per employee in NCUA’s central office. Displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, the largest known African elephant weighs 22,000 pounds. It is also the weight of a school bus.
Donations included whole-grain foods, canned fruits and vegetables, soups and stews, high-protein foods and baking goods.
NCUA’s Director of Public and Congressional Affairs Todd M. Harper led the agency in donations, personally giving more than 4,000 pounds of food. In all, 18 NCUA employees reached donation levels that qualified them for the Feds Feed Families Hall of Fame.
Platinum (1,000 pounds or more): Todd M. Harper, Myra Toeppe, and Tim Segerson.
Gold (500–1000 pounds): Chairman Matz, John Worth, Al Garesché, JeanMarie Komyathy, and Terri Finley-Harrigan. Silver (250–500 pounds): James Hagen, Buddy Gill, Ralph Monaco, Stacy Furukawa, Vin Vieten, Owen Cole, Larry Fazio, Olga Bruslavski, Scott Borger, and Ben Lidofsky.
NCUA is the independent federal agency created by the U.S. Congress to regulate, charter and supervise federal credit unions. With the backing of the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, NCUA operates and manages the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, insuring the deposits of more than 95 million account holders in all federal credit unions and the overwhelming majority of state-chartered credit unions.
–NCUA–