Community helps less fortunate through food donation programs Published July 18, 2014 By Holly Logan-Arrington Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Robins Air Force Base's Commissary is partnering with Warner Robins food banks to put food on the tables of the less fortunate. The effort is being done through the Food Bank Partnership Program. "When the commissary has food items that are not sellable, but are still edible, we contact the local food bank in Warner Robins," Susan Edmonds, Robins Commissary store director, said. "They, in turn, pick up the product and distribute it to the appropriate people in the local area." Edmonds said the partnership program took several months of work by Defense Commissary Agency headquarters officials to establish procedures for local food banks to receive approval from the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to authorize the commissary to give this food to the local food banks. Robins Commissary began participating in the program in October 2013. Feds Feed Families Robins is encouraging people to help save families from hunger through the Feds Feed Families campaign. The program, which began in 2009, will collect non-perishable food items at various points across the base through Aug. 27. Edmonds said the Defense Commissary Agency began participating in the program three years ago. "Feds Feed Families allows us to showcase how caring and giving our people are, and demonstrates our commitment to helping people in need," she said. Locally more than 2,000 pounds of food was collected through the program in 2013. The commissary has boxes at its exits where customers can donate food. For more information on Feds Feed Families, contact Senior Master Sgt. Christina Myers at 468-3619 or Master Sgt. David Counts at 468-5333.