Americans in Okinawa send relief donations

Photo By Master Sgt. Rebekka Heite | Volunteers sort and box up clothing at the USO on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, April 6, for shipment to mainland Japan to aid in the relief efforts.  

OKINAWA, JAPAN

04.07.2011

Story by Sgt. Rebekka Heite 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

OKINAWA, Japan - As the people of Japan work to rebuild their lives following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Americans in Okinawa have shown their support through donations.

Americans are known for being generous, especially in situations like this that take compassion, said Lt. Cmdr. Kobena Arthur, chaplain for Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

In Okinawa, multiple authorized organizations collected clothing, food and cash donations for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

Donated clothes, food, hygiene items and blankets for the earthquake and tsunami survivors filled two oversized rooms at the USO on MCAS Futenma.

Donated items included store-bought clothes still bearing tags, brand-new handmade clothes and some lightly-used clothes.

Everything that was collected during the MCAS Futenma drive was “all quality, even the used items are in good condition,” said Arthur.

The Kadena Youth Center, at Kadena Air Base, collected more than 300 boxes of items for the relief effort during its daylong donation drive.

The donations “just exploded,” said Geoff Rhinehart, the director of the Kadena Youth Center.

“The community’s outreach has just been amazing,” he said.

Canned food donations made at the Camp Courtney commissary have exceeded $8,000 worth of goods, said Sterling Johnson, Camp Courtney commissary grocery manager.

Though originally scheduled to end March 31, the Camp Courtney commissary has extended the canned food collection because of local interest, said Sterling.

The American Red Cross at Kadena Air Base collected $65,593 and at Camp Foster collected $9,248 in donations as of April 5. The donations will be used for relief efforts.

“It’s been amazing, the community coming together,” said Jessica Muniz, Kadena Red Cross field office coordinator.

Navy Federal Credit Union branch offices in Okinawa collected a truckload of clothes, toiletry items, blankets and food and more than $1,000.

“They’re very generous,” said Katya Blissard, assistant manager of the Navy Federal Credit Union aboard Camp Hansen, about those who have donated to the relief efforts. “We’re all in it together.”

The Armed Services Blood Bank also collected more blood donations than normal as service members and Department of Defense contractors searched for ways to aid the relief efforts.

ASBB sent blood with the military units deployed in support of the relief efforts in addition to sending blood with all the units participating in exercises off island, said Douglas Kennedy, an ASBB recruiter.

• Date Taken: 04.07.2011
• Date Posted: 04.07.2011 01:22
• Story ID: 68379
• Location: OKINAWA, JP