Amateur chefs from 12 federal agencies brought crock pots full of spicy meat and beans to the Energy Department cafeteria Thursday for the 2015 Feds Feed Families Chili Cook-off.

The competition helps to raise awareness and donations of food for the annual Feds Feed Families campaign.

“In 2009, there was an awareness that we needed as part of the United We Serve campaign to bring in much needed donations into our local food banks and food pantries, where donations usually go down during the summer months when kids are out of school,” said Jennifer McDowell, the 2015 Feds Feed Families National Program Manager.

The campaign is part of a charitable initiative supported by the Office of Personnel Management, the Chief Human Capital Officers Council and the Department of Agriculture.

Feds Feed Families’ 2014 campaign brought in 14.8 million pounds of food across the federal government. Between 2009 and 2014, feds have donated approximately 39 million pounds of food in total.

Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer Tonya Mackey of the Energy Department, USDA CHCO William Milton Jr. and McDowell served as judges for Thursday’s competition. After tasting all the entries, they named the top three winners:

• First Place:  Carol Ward, John Lee, Marlenia Murray, Office of Environmental Management, Department of Energy (DOE)

• Second Place:  Barbara Cooper, Department of Housing and Urban Development

• Third Place:  John Crump, Department of Housing and Urban Development

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