For Immediate Release
Contact: Sonya Johnson
Sonya.Johnson@orcc.doe.gov
(702) 219-1073
UCOR virtual food drive, corporate donations provide $30,000 to Second Harvest
Oak Ridge, Tenn., April 30, 2020 – With the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacting many in East Tennessee, members of UCOR’s workforce have been looking for ways to help their neighbors. One obvious way was to ensure that those in need are able to feed their families. Working with Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, the UCOR workforce conducted a virtual food drive that, with additional corporate donations, has provided the agency more than $30,000 to feed those in need.
Elaine Steno, Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, expressed the organization’s gratitude, “UCOR continues to be an outstanding supporter of Second Harvest Food Bank, and we are
incredibly grateful.” Streno added, “Thanks to the generous donation, 45,000 meals will be provided to East Tennesseans in great need during the COVID crisis. We truly could not feed the hungry without community
partners like UCOR.”
UCOR’s community investment program includes a focus on health and wellness, providing opportunities for workers to volunteer time to stock food pantries and backpacks for kids. However, during this time of social distancing, workers turned to their computers to make an impact, contributing more than $5,200 as of April
23. UCOR has matched worker donations by contributing $10,000, and UCOR’s parent companies, Amentum and Jacobs, donated $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.
“This is a very difficult time for so many in our area. As they always do, our workforce has stepped up to help by supporting Second Harvest Food Bank and the critical work they do,” said Ken Rueter, UCOR CEO and president. “As a company, we also wanted to help. So we chose to match the donations made by our workers. We were especially pleased to see our parent organizations be such substantial partners in our efforts to support our fellow East Tennesseans.”
Preferring to remain anonymous, one UCOR worker said, “I have lived through times not knowing if there would be enough food. Now that I am blessed to have a job, I wanted to help others be sure their families
would have food to eat.”
UCOR, an Amentum-led partnership with Jacobs, is DOE’s leading environmental cleanup partner. Since
August 2011, UCOR has worked to reduce environmental risk by cleaning up legacy facilities from the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, allowing DOE to repurpose the land and buildings for use as a multi-use industrial park, national park, and conservation area. The company is also cleaning up contaminated facilities that are no longer in use at ORNL and Y-12, reducing environmental risk and helping the DOE Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration to continue their missions.
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Photo: Elaine_Streno.jpg
Caption: Elaine Streno, Second Harvest Food Bank, receives the combined donation from UCOR workers and the
UCOR organization.
