EXHIBIT (c)(4)

                             ASSIGNMENT



     Know all men by these  presents  that  DOUGHTIE'S  FOODS,  INC., a Virginia
corporation  with  its  principal  office  at 2410  Wesley  Street,  Portsmouth,
Virginia 23707 (hereinafter  called the Assignor),  for valuable  consideration,
the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, hereby sells, assigns and transfers
(under  the  Assignment  of Claims  Act,  31 U.S.C.  section  3727 and 41 U.S.C.
section 15) to CRESTAR  BANK,  a Virginia  banking  corporation  with a place of
business at 500 Main Street,  Norfolk,  Virginia  23510,  and its successors and
assigns (hereinafter called the Assignee), all monies due and to become due from
the United  States of  America,  together  with all rights to receive  the same,
under a certain Contract No.  SP0300-967-D-2900  dated 26 January, 1996, between
the United  States of America  acting  through  the  Defense  Logistics  Agency,
Defense  Personnel  Support  Center,  2800  South  20th  Street,   Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania  19145-5099,  and the Assignor, for the supply of subsistence items
(foods)  to  military   facilities  in  Zone  One,   Southern  Virginia  of  the
Mid-Atlantic  Region;  under any  letter of intent,  letter of award,  letter of
acceptance  of  bid  or  proposal,   informal  or  incomplete  contract,  order,
authorization   to  commence   performance   or  other  similar   instrument  or
communication  made  or  received  by  the  Assignor  in  anticipation  of or in
connection  with said  contract  and under any and all  amendments  thereof  and
supplements thereto.
     The Assignor hereby  authorizes and directs the United States of America to
make all payments due under said formal and/or informal contract and any and all
amendments  thereof and supplements  thereto direct to the Assignee by checks or
other orders, payable to the order of the Assignee, and constitutes and appoints
the  Assignee  its true and  lawful  attorney,  irrevocably  with full  power of
substitution for it and in its name or in the name of the Assignor or otherwise,
to ask,  require,  demand and receive and give  acquittance for any and all said
monies due or to become  due,  and to endorse  the name of the  Assignor  to any
checks,  drafts or other orders for the payment of money payable to the Assignor
in payment thereof.
     The Assignor  warrants that it is the lawful owner of all rights under said
formal  and/or  informal  contract  and  any  and  all  amendments  thereof  and
supplements thereto; that it has good right to assign same; that its said rights
are free from all liens and  encumbrances  that it will  warrant  and defend the
same against the lawful claims and demands of all persons.  The Assignor  agrees
(1) that,  if any payments  under said formal  and/or  informal  contract or any
amendment thereof or supplement  thereto shall be made to the Assignor,  it will
receive and hold


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the same in trust for the Assignee and will forthwith  upon receipt  deliver the
same to the Assignee in the identical form of payment  received by the Assignor;
and (2) that it will execute and deliver all such further instruments and do all
such further acts and things as the Assignee may reasonable  request or as shall
be necessary or desirable to further and more  perfectly  assure to the Assignee
its rights under said formal and/or informal contract or any amendments  thereof
or  supplements  thereto.  IN WITNESS  WHEREOF,  the  Assignor  has caused  this
instrument to be signed,  sealed and delivered by its proper  officer  thereunto
duly authorized this 14th day of June, 1996

                                  DOUGHTIE'S FOODS, INC.



                                  By: Marion S. Whitfield, Jr.
                                      ------------------------
                                          (Signature)
                                 Title: Senior Vice President




COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CITY OF NORFOLK, to-wit:


     The foregoing  instrument was acknowledged before me this 14th day of June,
1996, in the aforesaid jurisdiction by Marion S. Whitfield,  Jr., as Senior Vice
Pres. of Doughtie's Foods, Inc., on behalf of the corporation.



                                      [Illegible]
                                   -------------------
                                      (Signature)
                                     Notary Public

My commission expires: July 31, 1999