NEWS

The Area’s Biggest (and Longest Running) Pot Luck for Charity

McLean, VA, December 18, 2009—According to Don Wilson, it started out with some work buddies and a chili cook off. These LMI researchers did it for bragging rights at the office and then decided to let coworkers enjoy the lunch by making a donation to Children’s Hospital.

Twenty years later, the event held on December 18  has morphed into the mother of all pot lucks with more than 160 LMI employees bringing in 51 different main dishes, 16 salads, 31 desserts, 40 side dishes, soup and chili, breads, and drinks to feed about 500 people. Don runs the operation with the precision of the retired army logistician he is, including two lines of people snaking through the LMI McLean headquarters building.

“Yes, I know we have the smartest staff in the area, but they do donate the food and then pay to eat what they donated!” Don notes with a smile. This is clearly a labor of love for him and his team of volunteer cooks and servers, who raised more than $12,000 at the door and have donated more than $160,000 to Children’s over the years.

LMI, a not-for-profit firm headquartered in McLean, Virginia, has served the government since 1961, seeking to improve agency management through independent analysis and counsel in logistics, infrastructure, and resource management.