Photo By Sgt. Liane Hatch | Pfc. Gaeun Weir (left) and Spc. Ja'Van Donnell (right) of the 10th Mountain Division...... read more read more
Thursday, January 12, 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade Soldiers formed up not at their respective battalions, but at the Watertown Salvation Army as part of an ongoing effort to engage the local community. Soldiers used their free time to provide service and support to the Salvation Army staff, who rely on the work of volunteers to meet the needs of the surrounding community.
The Soldiers acted as part of the “Remember, Celebrate, Act: A Day On, Not a Day Off” observance in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The federal holiday was created to give Americans the opportunity to serve their communities in ways that would honor King’s legacy.
“Dr. King said that everyone can be great because everyone can serve,” said Maj. James Key, 10th Mountain Division (LI) Sustainment Brigade Chaplain. “Today, a group of great Americans had an opportunity to serve a community they’ve adopted.”
Those who volunteered spent the afternoon assisting the Salvation Army staff with tasks too large to undertake on their own – helping them accomplish great amounts of work in only a short amount of time.
“This would have taken me days,” said Diane Ross, who serves the Salvation Army as part of the advisory board, thanking the Soldiers as she gazed over what had just earlier been a mountain of toys. “We really appreciate the help.”
Soldiers helped sort food donations for use in either the facility’s soup kitchen, which provides hot meals Monday through Friday, or the community food pantry, which provides emergency food boxes for families and individuals struggling to make ends meet, removing expired or unusable food products, and organized children’s toys that were donated too late for distribution this past Christmas and will be distributed to local children at a later date.
“It’s giving Soldiers the opportunity to give back and to really be about the business of service,” said Key, “and it’s part of establishing our identity as a brigade.”
This event was the brigade’s second time volunteering at the Salvation Army in recent months, and Key said he’s working on developing a continued relationship with organizations that serve the local community, so that Muleskinners have regular opportunities to serve.
| Date Taken: | 01.12.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.17.2017 15:24 |
| Story ID: | 220473 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Muleskinners Support Local Community with Day of Service, by SGT Liane Hatch, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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