Secretary Vilsack Kicks off the Combined Federal Campaign at USDA

October 20 marked the official launch of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) at USDA for the Washington, D.C. metro area. Administered by the government’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM), CFC is the world’s largest workplace giving program. Since its inception in 1961, federal employees have contributed more than $6 billion to the non-profit community.

This year, USDA has set a goal of raising just under $2 million from its approximately 10,000 employees in the national capital area. The official kickoff on Tuesday morning was an exciting event in the Whitten Building patio featuring top USDA leadership and more than 20 CFC registered non-profit organizations. Secretary Tom Vilsack and Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics, Dr. Raj Shah, led off the event by speaking movingly about the ways that non-profit organizations touch all of our lives in critical and transformative ways.

Dr. Shah spoke about incredible array of non-profits that participate in CFC, from groups doing lifesaving work fighting malaria in Africa to charities feeding hungry people right here in Washington, D.C. Secretary Vilsack spoke about his own birth in a Catholic orphanage, saying that he probably would not be here today if not for the nuns who took care of him and his birth mother.

Both stressed the importance of giving generously this year more than ever, as the worldwide economic crisis has dramatically increased the needs of the non-profit community even as donations to the sector have fallen off. Secretary Vilsack emphasized that as federal workers, we have all been blessed with good jobs, and that CFC is a wonderful opportunity to share that blessing with people in need.

After Secretary Vilsack’s remarks, he officially opened the campaign by handing in his own completed pledge form. Dr. Shah and much of USDA’s senior leadership followed suit, as the assembled USDA employees watched a video message from President Obama. The President encouraged all federal employees to give generously to CFC this year, as part of the same spirit of service and community that he has worked to strengthen across the country through United We Serve.

As the first phase of the kickoff drew to a close, Bernadine Prince of FARMFRESH Markets spoke about her organization’s work to promote locally grown food throughout the DC Metro area. When Ms. Prince finished her remarks, it was time for the attendees to sample some of the fresh, locally grown food from USDA’s very own Farmers Market, such as apple cider and banana bread.

Before attendees enjoyed the delicious and healthy refreshments, Dr. Susan McCarthy from the Agricultural Research Service, USDA’s 2009 CFC Campaign Manager, launched the charity fair. This fair was an excellent opportunity for USDA employees to talk to representatives of a few of the thousands of non-profits represented in the CFC catalog. Employees who attended reported having a wonderful time and learning a great deal about non-profits doing great work in a wide variety of ways.

The Secretary is hoping that all employees will join him in giving to the non-profit organizations of their choice. The size of the gift matters much less than the fact that each employee participates on some level. DC Metro area federal employees can find out everything they need to know to get involved in CFC by visiting www.cfcnca.org. Federal employees outside of Washington can locate their local campaign’s website by following this link. Together, federal employees can provide a huge boost to the critical work of the non-profit sector.

Permalink  |  Posted: 04:23PM Oct 22, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [1]

Gering Ever Green House - Building and Renewing a Rural Community

In Gering, Nebraska (pop.8000 ) over the Oregon Trail Park, right next to the high school football field lies the Ever Green House. A project of Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska, the Ever Green House is a family and community development center featuring a community garden, a greenhouse, and a farmer’s market. With a mission of building community through gardening, horticultural education, community beautification and environmental stewardship, the mission encompasses many of the goals that the USDA is promoting.

The property was originally used by the local high school until it fell into disrepair. A dedicated group of volunteers and gardeners wanted to strengthen their community by building a place where families could come together. Echoing the themes of President Obama’s United We Serve initiative, the Ever Green House now serves as a beautiful garden sanctuary and the volunteers are active at beautification efforts in the town of Gering.

Projects like the Ever Green House are vital to our rural America, because they bring people together under the common goal of making their communities stronger, better places to live. In recognition of that hard work and vital role in the community, the Ever Green House will receive Recovery Act funding to replace the roof on their building so that residents can garden and cultivate new relationships and ideas year round.

What started as a small project has expanded with the Ever Green House now operating a weekly farmer’s market. With 7-18 vendors per week all local to the Gering area, Ever Green House is a working example of the USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative. This farmer’s market gives locals access to healthy fruits, vegetable, and other from the farm goods and provides the local producers with a new market and income opportunity.

What an honor to tour the Ever Green House. Clearly the seeds of change and renewal are growing in the town of Gering, Nebraska.

Permalink  |  Posted: 04:17PM Sep 29, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [0]

From Our Garden to the Table

Hundreds of bell peppers in shades of green, red, orange and yellow were on the chopping block today at the DC Central Kitchen. The peppers, personally delivered by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack from the USDA Farmer’s Market, were on their way into quesadillas as part of the lunch menu at the DC Central Kitchen.

Secretary Vilsack was at the DC Central Kitchen today as part of the Obama Administration's 'National Day of Service and Remembrance'. The Secretary, with sleeves rolled up and proper food safety procedures in place, jumped on the food production line and demonstrated his dicing skills as the peppers made their journey into quesadillas.

In addition to the cases of peppers, the Secretary delivered fresh green beans and other vegetables picked only an hour early from the People’s Garden at the USDA headquarters. Altogether, he People's Garden has produced 300 pounds of fresh produce that has been donated to DC Central Kitchen over the course of the summer.

Under the banner of President Obama’s 'United We Serve' initiative, the DC Central Kitchen was packed with volunteers eager to give back to the community. And what better way to give back than to help those members of the community that are underserved and the most vulnerable. The DC Central Kitchen represents the best of our community and has used their facility to recover unused food, prepare and deliver meals to partner social service agencies, train and employ homeless men and women for the food service industry, and intellectually engage volunteers.



The DC Central Kitchen takes their dedication to the local community a step further by reaching out to local farmers and producers for the food they use. From local gardens and farms to the dinner table on a large scale is quite a sight. As a community kitchen, they recycle over one ton of surplus food each day that would otherwise go to waste and turn it into 4,500 meals for the hungry in the greater Washington, D.C., region.

Thank you to those Americans that volunteered their time on this National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Permalink  |  Posted: 04:25PM Sep 11, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [3]

Rain or Shine, Local Farmers Deliver

It was a rainy morning here at the USDA headquarters in Washington DC, but that did not stop the local farm vendors from setting up shop at the weekly USDA Farmer’s Market.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan stopped by the market this morning to purchase local fruits and vegetables for donation. Tomatoes the size of a boxer’s fist, eggplants of all purple hues, and peppers as crisp as the breeze around us found their way into bags and boxes on their way to a local kitchen for the homeless and underserved.

The produce from Virginia, Maryland, and southern Pennsylvania represents the growing popularity of farmer’s markets around the country. The USDA’s Farmer’s Market was started in 1996 and due to the success and popularity, has continued to grow every year since. The market is located on the grounds of the USDA headquarters and is open from June 5 until October 30. The market features 14 vendors and receives over 2500 visitors a day.

The market has become an integral part of USDA's commitment to develop effective direct marketing strategies for farmers. According to a study by the Agricultural Marketing Service, an agency within the USDA, the U.S. farmers market industry shows the sector continues to experience brisk growth. Between the year 2000, when AMS conducted its first comprehensive national survey of farmers markets, and the end of 2005, the number of farmers markets in the United States increased 43 percent, from 2,863 to 4,093, an average growth rate of 8.6 percent a year. Total farmers market sales nationwide now exceed $1 billion dollars annually.

After selecting several cases and bags of food, Deputy Secretary Merrigan delivered the produce to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack who was delivering them fresh from the farm to the table at the DC Central Kitchen.

Permalink  |  Posted: 04:06PM Sep 11, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [1]