Community fills hundreds of Operation We Care packages for US soldiers overseas
“Today is inspirational. I’ve been coming to a lot of them. I received one of the first packages they ever sent in 2008, so I know this group they are very dear to me.”
John Black received one of Operation We Care’s first care packages when he was deployed in Afghanistan. Since Black served in the military for over 30 years, and now a veteran himself, Black knows first hand what it means for soldiers overseas.
Black explains, “It’s a wonderful feeling because sometimes you don’t get mail for weeks at a time then you get something sent out of the blue it just makes you feel good.”
Active Air Force member, Curtis Scott agrees.
He received hundreds of care packages during his deployments from Operation We Care. Scott was able to redistribute them to other service members in his camp.
“To see people actually tear up start crying just because someone cared enough to send them something is something really special for a lot of these guys,” says Scott.
Now Curtis gets to see the other end of Operation We Care. Today, over 300 volunteers from all over the community came together to fill 600 boxes with everything from toothbrushes to Girl Scout cookies.
Although everything is for the soldiers, volunteers felt like they got something out of it too.
“Great feeling, great people, its made my Christmas and it’s not even Christmas yet and its made it for me,” explains first time volunteer Mary Ann Eastman.
Jeff Merritt started Operation We Care in the fall of 2007. Since the program began, they’ve been able to ship over 10,000 care packages. Today they’ll have other 11,000.
Merritt tells 47 ABC this event is what the organization is all about:
“We just wanted to show our support for the men and women who are deployed and away from their friends and family. You know they’re missing a lot of things back home and they’re defending our country and we just want to say thanks.”
Merritt says everyday is Veterans Day for Operation We Care.
Some of the care packages will be sent out next week and the others will be held for a group of servicemen from Maryland and Virginia that are currently in pre-deployment training in Texas.
Although, Operation We Care’s packing event wasn’t just about the care packages.
The organization also made donations to several programs, giving $1,000 to the Seaford Young Marines, $1,000 to Delaware State Police program Camp Barnes, and $2,000 to Brothers at Army.
Operation We Care also donated 350 smoke detectors to the Salisbury Fire Department.
Salisbury Fire Captain, John Black, tells 47 ABC that this donation is huge for them because they go through about one thousand smoke detectors a year.
Black says smoke detectors are extremely important because they save lives.
“Whenever we have a major event in the city, major fire event in the city within 24 to 48 hours after that event we will go and scour the city limits or within a block, block in a half from where that incident took place and go door to door checking for smoke detectors to see if they’re operational. If they’re not operational we’ll put batteries in them, replace them, or give them new ones,” explains Black.
Black also adds if residents within city limits don’t have a smoke detector they can come to the fire station at any point and pick one up.
Operation We Care also received a donation of $15,000 today from Slaughter House Farm and the Scott Family.
