Subscribe
HONOLULU — More than a dozen Marines and Sailors came to assist in the kitchen at one of the homeless shelters belonging to the Institute for Human Services, Aug. 1, 2015.
Every first Saturday of the month, the Single Marine & Sailor Program recruits volunteers to provide assistance at one of the shelters at IHS. The Marines and Sailors have been coming to volunteer with IHS for about two years, according to Karley Peterson, the SM&SP coordinator.
The service members regularly help prepare ingredients or organize the pantry at the shelter. This time around, a number of service members from Combat Logistics Battalion 3 were part of the volunteer group.
“(By volunteering), we really come together as a unit, give back to the community, (and) represent the Marine Corps in a positive way,” said Sgt. Chas Fornili, a welder with Support Company, CLB-3.
This is Fornili’s second time volunteering at IHS with SM&SP. The Pittsburgh native said he enjoys getting involved, and hearing the positive feedback he receives when he comes to volunteer. Fornili and Lance Cpl. Gloribel Flores began their morning slicing different types of bread.
For Flores, it’s seeing the smiles on people’s faces that makes her want to volunteer. The Los Angeles native said this was her third time volunteering at IHS.
While the kitchen was bustling with activity, Lance Cpl. Marquise Jones, an aircraft maintenance administration specialist with Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3, busied himself sweeping out the backroom of the kitchen. He has been volunteering regularly with SM&SP since last year. The Washington, D.C. native said he liked volunteering for soup kitchens because it gave him a good feeling to give back.
Volunteering is nothing new for Jones, who has also worked in soup kitchens through his church in his hometown. He said the most rewarding part about volunteering is the opportunity to be able to influence others, while also getting to meet other people, and hearing their story.
The IHS was officially established in 1982 as a private nonprofit organization. Episcopal pastor Father Du Teil, and volunteer counselors Peter Giberson and Rick Loyd originally opened a center that was open seven days a week, offering peanut butter sandwiches three times a day and a hot meal on Friday and Saturday evenings. According to the website, the institute has two shelters, and serves anywhere between 600 to 700 meals each day to the homeless.
Other volunteer opportunities are available to single and unaccompanied Marines and Sailors throughout the year. Service members regularly run with shelter dogs at the Hawaiian Humane Society, conduct beach clean-ups. Transportation is generally provided, and volunteers meet in front of Kahuna’s Recreation Center.
For more information about SM&SP volunteer events, visit www.mccshawaii.com/smsp, or call the coordinator at 254-7593.
The many volunteer opportunities SM&SP provides fall in line with the mission of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, which is to provide facilities, programs and services in direct support of units, individuals and families in order to enhance and sustain combat readiness for all operating forces and tenant organizations aboard the installation.
| Date Taken: | 08.03.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.04.2015 18:33 |
| Story ID: | 172028 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, SM&SP volunteers at homeless shelter, by Kristen Wong, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT