The over 670 veterans who attended the event received new shoes and other aid.

As a federal employee for USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, it is part of my job to know the many faces of hunger. People in need can come from all backgrounds, ages, locations, and walks of life. They are children. They are senior citizens. They are even those who are newly unemployed during our nation’s economic downturn. I knew all of this. But what caught me off guard was the fact that many are also our nation’s veterans. Read more »

“As a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, my work as a logistics embarkation specialist gave me ability to multi-task on a number of important projects. These skills were crucial to my transition to my position here at AMS,” said Lauren Hilliker, AMS Fruit and Vegetable Programs. She is shown here with another AMS employee, Candice Spalding, talking with veterans and Justice Department staff at a NAVSEA career event in September 2011.

At the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), we employ several veterans from different branches of the armed services.  Their experience and training built them into strong multi-taskers, leaders and analytical thinkers—all of them invaluable teammates and civil servants.  They each took a different path to get to USDA, and the skills and abilities they honed during their military service were crucial to their successful transition into their civilian career paths. Read more »

Hiker on Santa Lucia Trail Ventana Wilderness, in California. U.S. Forest Service Photo by Lynn Olson.

The U. S. Forest Service will waive fees honoring those brave men and women who have protected our country and nation’s lands during the long Veterans Day weekend November 11-13 at some recreation sites.  This is the third time this year that fees have been waived to encourage visitors to come to a national forest. Read more »

We are approaching Veterans Day, a time to honor the men and women who have served this nation in uniform.  Whether they are soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen or coastguardsmen – our veterans were part of the finest military the world has ever known.  Their selfless and courageous contributions over generations have helped Americans enjoy the freedom and liberty our founders imagined.

And USDA – through our work in rural America and on a host of other issues – has a strong connection with those who have served.  Today, about 6.1 million veterans live in rural communities, a higher concentration than anywhere else in the country. Read more »

USDA’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization recently announced that in honor of Veteran’s Day, Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses will have an opportunity to meet and participate in networking sessions with USDA program and acquisition specialists on the Patio, Jamie L. Whitten Federal Building on November 8, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.   There will also be an opportunity to meet one-on-one with USDA contracting agency representatives to describe their agency’s program objectives, direction and acquisitions.

Annually, USDA purchases more than $5 billion dollars in goods and services essential to meeting the needs of our customers and the various missions of the agency.  Approximately 60 percent of these dollars are spent on food commodities. Read more »