2020 NWS Autumn of Service

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Other Weeks & Seasons

2011 (September 25 - October 1)
2012 (September 30 - October 6)
2013 (September 29 - October 5)
2014 (September 28 - October 4)
2015 (September 27 - October 3)
2016 (September 25 - October 1)
2017 (September 24 - September 30)
2018 (September 30 - October 6)
2019 (September 29 - October 5)
2021 (September 1 - November 30)
2022 (September 1 - November 30)
2023 (September 1 - November 30)
2024 (September 1 - November 30)

During October, NWS Aberdeen collected and donated 136 pounds for the Salvation Army in Aberdeen.

In October, NWS Albany staff held a virtual food drive Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY - BackPack Program.  Their staff donated $305.

During October, NWS Baltimore/Washington DC collected and donated 97 pounds of food and 2 pounds of other items to the Loudoun Hunger Relief.

From November 6-18, The Birmingham Barons were holding a Thanksgiving Food Drive for the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. Our office collected roughly 130 pounds of food and donated it to their drive.

In addition from November 13-30, 12 staff members sponsored an angel from the Salvation Army Angel Tree.

Vittles for Vets is a non-profit 501 C-3 organization that was founded in December 2014 by veterans for veterans. Their primary purpose is to distribute gift cards for nutritious food to qualifying veterans. They also conduct special drives to meet the needs of veterans and their families who have qualified for their program through Virginia veteran services. Currently, there are approximately 104 Veterans in the program. Last year they won Small Nonprofit of the Year from the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. We collected 183 pounds of non-perishable food and toiletries. Additionally, some office members made monetary donations through the Vittles for Vets website.

During October, Central Illinois WFO collected and donated 270 pounds of food for the Central Illinois Foodbank/Lincoln Logan Food Pantry.

From September 14 through October 8, NWS Charleston, SC collected donations for East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO), a local organization that provides safety net services to low-income neighbors, while empowering them to create a better future for themselves, their families, and communities. ECCO helps individuals and families with a range of services including food, clothing, emergency financial assistance, comprehensive medical and dental care, counseling, and educational opportunities. Due to COVID-19, ECCO has seen numbers increase from serving 400 families a month to 900 families a month.

NWS Charleston was able to collect over 230 pounds of donations - including hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and non-perishable foods.

During October, Chicago, IL WFO and Aurora, IL CWSU collected and donated 384 pounds of food and 5 pounds of other items to the West Suburban Community Pantry.

From mid-October through mid-November, WFO Cleveland, and CWSU Oberlin, OH collected items to support the Cleveland Angels (they provide support to foster children and foster families) monthly Love Box program. Love Boxes are a monthly program where items like school supplies, books, clothing, and toys are given to children in foster care to give them both essential items and boost their spirits. Our collection was to support their Holiday Box Drive and items collected included hat and glove sets, games, books, gingerbread house kits, gift cards, etc.

From October 1 through November 30, the NWS Salt Lake City, Colorado Basin RFC, and Western Region Headquarters staffs held a collection drive for Ronald McDonald House of the Intermountain West.  They collected and delivered several household cleaning items that were on the wish list for the Ronald McDonald House of the Intermountain West.

From October 19-25, NWS Salt Lake City and Colorado Basin RFC created a team for Making Strides of Utah, a virtual charity walk to benefit breast cancer research through the American Cancer Society. This team consisted of 8 staff members and 10 family members. As an office, we raised $756.

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We chose to do a school supply drive (October 14-November 11) because the pandemic has been particularly hard on parents and students. In ordinary years, many students in Saluda County can't afford the supplies they'll need for class and obviously, this year has been particularly hard for those families. Students completing work at home now need the supplies they would typically rely on the school to supply. And there are fewer resources for those students that are in the classroom. The SC Dept. of Education notes that 76.8% of the students at Saluda Middle live in poverty and the district is often overshadowed by the larger ones in the state for donations.

In addition to the school supplies, we collected donations to purchase classroom sets of whiteboards. One thing the Assistant Superintendent mentioned that would be particularly helpful for both students working at home and in the classroom was individual whiteboards. A nearby hardware store sells sheets of dual-sided whiteboard/blackboard material that can be cut into smaller sizes for each student and is much more cost-effective than buying the individual boards. We were able to donate 42 whiteboards which will provide 3 classrooms with learning tools for years to come. The attached photo is of the Saluda County School District Superintendent, Dr. Harvey Livingston, and Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Abbey Duggins. They were extremely appreciative of the donation.

During October, Duluth, MN WFO collected and donated 31 pounds of food to the Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank.

During October, El Paso, TX WFO collected and donated 221 pounds of food to El Pasoans Fighting Hunger (EPFH).  This was the most successful food drive in EPZ history and likely the largest volunteer effort our office has ever conducted. These donations will make a big difference for many local families affected by the ongoing pandemic. The need for food assistance continues to grow and they are on track to distribute 100 million pounds of food by the end of the year. EPFH currently serves 250,000 food-insecure people, with that number increasing due to recent layoffs and business struggles. In 2019, EPFH proudly distributed 32.5 million pounds of food across El Paso, Hudspeth, and Culberson Counties. Our donations help prevent numerous families and refugees in the borderland from going hungry, and I am very thankful to live in a place that supports those most in need. We, including myself, often take food, health, and shelter for granted. Doing what we can to help those in need is just another aspect of our office's commitment to protecting lives and property.

During October, Grand Junction, CO WFO collected 117 lbs of food for the Grand Junction Community Food Bank.  This was part of the NWS Food Drive Competition.

In October, Grand Rapids, MI WFO held a food drive.   This was part of the NWS Food Drive Competition.

During October,  many people participated in a food drive benefitting the Gray Community Food Bank. Dozens of cans of soup, beans, and tuna were collected, as well as items listed as needed on the food bank website. These included instant coffee, macaroni and cheese, and jams.  A total of 91 lbs of food was donated.

During October, Great Falls, MT WFO collected and donated 81 pounds of food to the Great Falls Community Food Bank.  They also collected 1 small box and 3 garbage bags full of clothes for the Great Falls Mission.

Great Falls Community Food Bank Pictures

From mid-October into mid-November, Green Bay, WI WFO collected 116 items for Paul's Pantry.   They delivered the food a week before Thanksgiving.  

In addition to this, 4 staff members conducted an adopt-a-highway clean-up in late October.  They picked up 2 bags of trash in their park and ride area along Highway 41 south of Green Bay.

During October, Hastings, NE WFO collected and donated 631.87 pounds of food and 10 pounds of other items to the Hastings Food Pantry/Camille's Cupboard.

From August 7-9, several staff members participated in a Stuff The Bus event for the Salvation Army of La Crosse.  There were 2 ways in which the staff could participate in this event.  They could either drop off the supplies or gift cards in bins at either of our 2 La Crosse Walmarts or by using their online registry.

During October, they held an in-house and virtual food drive for WAFER.  A total of 11.5 lbs of food and $1,050 were directly donated to the WAFER Food Pantry.   

During the Autumn, Las Vegas, NV WFO held collection drives for the Shade Tree of Las Vegas and Noah's Animal House.  The Shade Tree provides safe shelter to homeless and abused women & children in crisis. They offer life-changing services promoting stability, dignity, and self-reliance. They also have an animal sanctuary on-site which allows women to bring their pets with them when sheltering at the Shade Tree. They collected and donated 325 pounds of food and 159 pounds of other items.

During October, Louisville, KY WFO collected and donated 153 pounds of food to the Dare to Care Food Bank.

Throughout the autumn season, our office set up an Amazon Wish List based on the wish list provided by the Covenant Children's Hospital. This kept our activity completely COVID safe. A bonus to setting up the Amazon Wish List, we even got a few anonymous donations from people who came across our list! The toys, books and clothes ended up being early Christmas gifts for the kids.

In October, Marquette, MI WFO held an in-house and virtual food drive for Saint Vincent de Paul in Ishpeming/UPAWS.  They collected 518.4 pounds of food and 8 pounds of other items.  In addition to this, staff members donated $125 directly to them.

During the month of October and the first week of November, their staff collected about 70 pounds of snacks for Operation Honor Care Package Drive (care packages to deployed military).  This included 64 granola bars, 58 packages of beef jerky, 12 cans of soup, 7 packages of gum/mints, and 2 boxes of cereal. We also collected a few magazines and air fresheners.  These donations were dropped off on November 7th.

During November, a staff member collected gently used shoes from the office for their kids' school.  Many staff members contributed to this shoe drive.  A total of 32 pairs of gently used shoes were collected. These shoes will be given to developing countries and earn some money for the local school.

Shoe Drive

In October, Nashville, TN WFO held a virtual food drive for Mount Juliet Help Center.  This is our second year collecting items for our local help center. We found out what they needed most, which was a mixture of food and toiletries. We collected 232 items that weighed 295 pounds.

During November, the National Water Center held a virtual food drive.  Their staff donated $4,698.50 plus 10 additional items to the food bank of their choice.  

During October, the New Orleans WFO collected a total of 805.5 lbs of food, and the Lower Mississippi RFC collected 966 lbs of food. That is almost a ton of food combined. A literal ton! A special thanks go to Matt D. for helping us weigh all the food!

David, Julie, and Ben delivered the food to the Good Samaritan Ministry here in Slidell. The food bank director was super appreciative of our donation, saying it will be used in the 300 Thanksgiving food baskets they will be preparing in the next few weeks.

During October & November, the Newport/Morehead City, NC WFO collected items to donate to the Carteret County Humane Society and Animal Shelter. We collected dog/cat food and other essential items (paper towels, bleach, treats, etc).

On November 7, several office staff (6) and family members (7) cleaned up an area in Beaufort, NC.  They collected numerous bags of trash and other debris

Cleaned-up their community

During October, North Platte, NE WFO collected and donated 105 pounds of food and 10 pounds of other items to the Salvation Army Community Food Pantry and the North Platte Pet Food Pantry.

During October, Northern Indiana WFO collected 53 pounds of food and 5 pounds of other items to the Syracuse Food Pantry.

During October, Pleasant Hill/Kansas City MO WFO, Missouri Basin RFC, & Kansas City CWSU collected and donated 190 pounds of food to the Pleasant Hill Food Bank.

On November 7, 6 Pocatello WFO staff members and 3 family members cleaned up the sides of the interstate and median.  This was part of Adopt-a-Highway.

From mid-November to December 11, we collected toys to donate to the Toys for Tots charity.

 
Toys for Tots

On August 20, Jessica Brooks (WFO Quad Cities, Service Hydrologist) and Peter Speck (WFO Quad Cities, Meteorologist) traveled to Cedar Rapids, IA to assist with recovery efforts from the August 10, 2020 derecho.

They spent their time at various donation centers and assisted with handing out supplies such as food, water, and toiletries to the families affected by the storm.

Jessica Brooks said, “It was great that Pete and I had the chance to help with recovery efforts. The damage caused by the derecho was extensive. The families affected by this storm were extremely grateful for the supplies we were able to give them.”

During October, they held an in-house and virtual food drive for River Bend Foodbank, North Scott Foodbanks, McAnthony's Window. They collected and donated 152 pounds of food.  In addition to this, their staff members donated $990 directly to the food banks listed above.

We held a month-long food drive for the month of October to collect can goods and food items. We dropped off our donated goods to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.  At the end of the food drive, they collected 420 items, which weighed up to 327 pounds.

From October 1 through November 30, the NWS Salt Lake City, Colorado Basin RFC, and Western Region Headquarters staffs held a collection drive for Ronald McDonald House of the Intermountain West.  They collected and delivered several household cleaning items that were on the wish list for the Ronald McDonald House of the Intermountain West.

From October 19-25, NWS Salt Lake City and Colorado Basin RFC created a team for Making Strides of Utah, a virtual charity walk to benefit breast cancer research through the American Cancer Society. This team consisted of 8 staff members and 10 family members. As an office, we raised $756.

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During October, San Angelo, TX WFO office staff donated 199 pounds of food, which was delivered to the Concho Valley Regional Food Bank.on November 3. It was much needed due to the financial effects of COVID in our community.

From November 15 through December 7, NWS Shreveport, LA collected and donated 216 pounds of food and warm blankets for our furry friends at the Humane Society of Northwest Louisiana.  This included a homemade dog house!

From October 1 through December 7, the staff collected food for the NW LA Food Bank, Salvation Army Toy Collection, and Toiletry Collection for Hurricane Laura.  Collected 204 pounds of food for the Northwest Louisiana Food Bank to help feed those in need. Collected toys through the Salvation Army Angel Tree program - 6-year old boy - lots of toys and clothes, shoes, and even a book about wind!  Donated a large box of toiletry items (toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, shampoo, soaps, etc) to the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office for Hurricane Laura Lake Charles relief efforts.

Throughout the end of October / early November, several team members at Southern Region Headquarters (6 people from SRH and 5 family members) donated and ran the Virtual Superhero Run, benefiting Tarrant County's Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children.

During October, Springfield, MO WFO collected and donated 259 pounds of food to the Ozark Food Harvest.  This was part of the NWS Food Drive Competition.

During October, St Louis, MO WFO collected and donated 201 pounds of food to the OASIS - Outreach Assistance Serving Individuals in St Charles County. 

NWS State College and the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center teamed up to participate in this year's NWS Autumn of Service. They collected 250 lbs of canned goods, household items, and other non-perishables to support people in their community.

NWS Tampa Bay/Ruskin, FL did a food drive for the Manatee County Food Bank, including both an in-office collection of goods and an online drive via the many options that the food bank had available on their website. In fact, we chose this particular food bank because of their multiple online alternative ways to give so that our frequent teleworkers could easily participate as well. While we did not get a poundage total for the physical donation, as it was a quick and socially distanced drop off, there were 7 large and very full bags of food (200 lbs) that were socially distanced and quickly dropped off. We also had about $300 worth of goods in online donations as well. Our drive lasted for just over a month running from October 10 to November 16.

Twin Cities/Chanhassen, MN WFO & North-Central RFC picked up trash on our 1.7-mile section of highway for the Minnesota Department of Transportation's Adopt A Highway program.  They collected 12 large highway bags.  Their office has volunteered twice a year since 2015.

During October, they collected and donated 246 pounds of food and 15 pounds of other items to Second Harvest Heartland.  

Food Drive	Collecting Trash

From October 1 through November 30, the NWS Salt Lake City, Colorado Basin RFC, and Western Region Headquarters staffs held a collection drive for Ronald McDonald House of the Intermountain West.  They collected and delivered several household cleaning items that were on the wish list for the Ronald McDonald House of the Intermountain West. In addition, $300 was raised and donated to the Ronald McDonald House to support their purchase of additional household cleaning items.

The Ohio River Forecast Center and WFO Wilmington, Ohio didn't do an office-wide project this year. Individuals just donated items/time to the group of their choice. We had some staff members who donated supplies to the PAWS Humane Society.  

A few staff members volunteer at PAWS Humane Society. These staff members do a variety of tasks to care for the animals.