Care package drive for military servicemembers gears up

 With the remarkable success of the care package drive for military servicemembers in the last three years, Operation CNMI Home Front Support is gearing up for its fourth campaign, this time aiming to cover more recipients in all branches of military service around the globe.

Geri Willis, founder of the annual activity, said yesterday that a total of 1,102 care packages have been sent out since the campaign began in 2008. This year, they are targeting at least 350 U.S. military personnel from the Marianas to get the packages.

Saipan Tribune learned that there are approximately 500 to 600 military service members from the CNMI deployed around the world.

Along with key partners and volunteers, the group held an organizational meeting yesterday at the Northern Marianas College to map out plans.

Although the biggest challenge continues to be the compilation of the names and addresses of all local soldiers, Willis is optimistic that more and more families and community members will come forward for the needed information.

Willis again appealed to the community, government, and business sectors to help out by donating items that will be sent to servicemembers.

Once all donated items are collected, the group plans to begin packing on Nov. 26, 9am at the Pedro Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in time for the target delivery of all care packages before the holiday season.

This year, Operation CNMI Home Front Support has designated two places as drop-off points for donated items: the Joeten Store in Susupe and the NMC campus. Donations from various sectors will also be gathered before the packing date.

Kennedy Benjamin, a returning trooper from Iraq, described the campaign as a great morale-booster for all servicemembers from the Marianas. Last year, he was among the recipients of the care package kit where he found many things that he had missed about the islands.

“The experience was a great feeling. Just receiving things you really appreciate from home is awesome. From home-made cookies and goodies to different kind of canned goods to T-shirts to newspapers.those things make a big difference,” he told Saipan Tribune.

Benjamin was deployed in Iraq in March 2010 and came back last July. An employee of the Red Cross local chapter now, he encourages everyone to get involved in a worthy cause for his fellow servicemembers.

“I will never also forget the cards from our students because they don’t know us and we don’t know them. but they showed that they care for us. A little thank you from them is really a big thing [for soldiers],” he said.

On its first year, Willis remembers starting the care package drive with only a few partners and volunteers. Last year, she said about 250 volunteers showed up to help pack the donated items. A total of 350 packages were sent out before the Christmas holiday in 2010.

Based on conversation with soldiers, Willis noted some items on their “wish lists.” These include canned foods such as Vienna sausage, Diamond tuna, Ox&Palm corned beef, Spam, Bowl noodle soup, Sapporo Ichiban soba, Doni, crackers, and cookies, among others. Other items on the wish list were letters, cards, and personal hygiene items, among others.

Except for the cost to mail out the packages, Willis said that everything in the campaign is usually donated.