HONOLULU — Marines, sailors and civilian volunteers from the Marine Corps Base Hawaii community prepared and served homemade meals to more than 280 people at the Institute of Human Services, Jan. 19.
The program was created four years ago before being adopted by Navy Lt. Robert L. Crabb, the chaplain for Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, in 2011. He thought the event was a great way to increase involvement of service members in the Oahu community. Crabb believed it would be a great way to lend a helping hand in a community that has hosted military members for decades.
Since then, volunteers around MCB Hawaii have continuously bought, prepared and served meals for thousands of people on the third Saturday of every month.
“We want people to know the military does care about the community and the people in it,” Crabb said. “By lending a helping hand to the areas that need it most, we can provide a good bridge between military personnel and civilians. We have a few volunteers who come out and dedicate their whole Saturday to preparing several hundred meals for people who need it. It’s a selfless act and a very rewarding experience.”
Seaman Recruit Angelina Springs, an air traffic controller with MCAS and native of Harrisburg, Pa., participated in the event for the first time, Jan. 19.
“It’s a humbling experience because every day I see people get upset about minor things in life like, ‘I can’t find my phone,’ or, ‘The water in my shower isn’t hot,’ but there are so many people who are living homeless with empty stomachs,” Springs said. “We don’t have to look on the news to see this struggle. It’s all over. I think this event is amazing but we need more people to get involved. If we can do that, we would be able to hit more locations and increase our impact in the community.”
When asked about his favorite part about the day, Seaman Recruit Cameron Wheeler, an air traffic controller with MCAS and native of Vancouver, Wash., smiled and said, “The assembly line.”
“After we spent a couple of hours cooking everything, it was time to actually hand out the meals,” Wheeler said. “There was a long line that stretched from the front door of the building to what looked like down the block. We had an assembly line going, where we pumped out plate after plate. It was definitely my favorite part because I was able to interact with the people.”
As tables began to fill, many people in attendance complimented the volunteers and thanked them for the meal. Smiles and conversations were seen and heard around the room as people began to filter in and out of the building.
“There were a lot of people there that said things like, ‘We always get the good food when the Marines and sailors come, they take good care of us,’” said Seaman Recruit Natalie Karsh, an air traffic controller with MCAS and San Diego native. “That in itself was powerful. If I could bottle that feeling up and share it, we would have many more volunteers the next go around.”
| Date Taken: |
01.19.2013 |
| Date Posted: |
01.25.2013 18:20 |
| Story ID: |
101064 |
| Location: |
HONOLULU, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: |
70 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Cooking, serving up hope for needy, by LCpl Jacob Barber, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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