Sailors from Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR) West volunteered their time at Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank April 20.

Throughout the day, Sailors inspected a variety of produce to ensure there were no markings or damage that would render the goods inedible. In total, the NAVIFOR West team, along with personnel from the community and other organizations, packaged 11,000 pounds of food for distribution.

"Volunteers are the lifeblood of a non-profit organization," said James A. Flores, Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank President and Chief Executive Officer. "Volunteers save the Food Bank over $1.5 million in annual labor costs; this cost savings, coupled with this organization's efficiency ensures that 92 cents of every dollar donated to the Food Bank goes directly to our hunger-relief programs."

Food banks secure large quantities of food products from commercial suppliers, local donations, the U.S Department of Agriculture, and other sources. After the product is examined and sorted, it is then offered to the food bank's non-profit partners, often food pantries that provide food to individuals and families in need in the counties they serve.

The Food Bank supplies food to hundreds of food pantries and programs throughout the county, feeding a variety of personnel including low-income individuals and families, seniors living near the poverty level, chronically hungry elementary school children, struggling middle-class families and low-income military families. The Food Bank works with organizations such as the USO and Armed Services YMCA to deliver food to local military bases including Naval Base San Diego and Camp Pendleton.

"Volunteering at the Food Bank was a great experience," said First Class Petty Officer Brandon Busby, an information systems technician, assigned to NAVIFOR West. "It was eye-opening to see how much this organization does to support the community and surprising to learn to see the amount of support that is given to military families, which makes this event even more gratifying," said Busby.

For more information on NAVIFOR, visit the command's web site at www.navifor.navy.mil, our Navy News Web page at http://www.navy.mil/local/navifor or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/USNavyInformationDominanceForces.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.