For the past several years, BDS' 6th floor staff has engaged in friendly competition to see which team can fill the most Sunshine Division food barrels. Well, this year, Commissioner Leonard raised the stakes when he challenged the Bureau of Development Services and the Water Bureau to a competition to see which bureau could collect more for charity. BDS chose to fill food barrels for the Portland Police Bureau's Sunshine Division and Water chose to fill toy barrels for the Portland Fire Bureau's Toy & Joy.

Last year, the 2007 Sunshine Division food barrel collection netted 27 barrels of food crushing our 2006 collection of 17 barrels. Well 2008 proved to be a record-shattering year for BDS employees - collectively, we filled 45 barrels for a total donation of 5,069 pounds of food going out to help hungry Portlanders.

Special thanks to Jim Nicks and Mike Liefeld who ordered barrels and organized the challenge and to all the BDS employees who participated in this worthy cause!