Soldiers Help Coast Guard Families after Government Shutdown

Photo By Staff Sgt. Sarah Sangster | 25th Division Sustainment Brigade, 25th Infantry Division Soldiers, help the Coast Guardsmen sort and organize some of the 1,020 items donated January 29 at Barbers Point Naval Air Station, Hawaii, to help Coast Guard families in need after the government shut down. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Sarah D. Williams)  

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, UNITED STATES

01.30.2019

Story by Sgt. Sarah Sangster  

25th Division Sustainment Brigade

COAST GUARD AIR STATION BARBERS POINT, Hawaii  – Soldiers of the 25th Division Sustainment Brigade, 25th Infantry Division went above and beyond, donating over 1,000 cans of food January 29 at Barbers Point Naval Air Station, Hawaii, to help Coast Guard families in need after the government shut down.

While the Coast Guard is a uniformed service, during peacetime, they fall under the Department of Homeland Security.  It was one of the departments impacted by the partial government shutdown.

Lt. Col. Julio F. Colon, the commander of the 524th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 25th DSB, recognized the need, and reached out to a Coast Guard friend he worked with during relief efforts in Puerto Rico to see if there was any way the unit could assist the Coast Guardsmen and their families.

Colon got in contact with the Coast Guard Spouses Club, who were holding a food drive January 29 at Barbers Point Naval Air Station, Hawaii to help those affected by the shutdown. The food donated will help the Coast Guard families through the last part of their unpaid work.

Maj. Brian T. Hargis, 25th DSB Brigade Chaplain, started the DSB food pantry in 2018 to provide items for families in need especially over Thanksgiving and Christmas. This program has provided assistance to families before, but it has never had this many families with such great requirements before.

“Any family or Soldier can receive food, regardless of rank or position, and we have even increased our broad based to assist those outside of our organization,” said Hargis. “This is our way, as a Unit Ministry Team, to share the love of God.”

The Brigade Commander Col. Dennis Levesque is a huge proponent in promoting this, as it falls under his programs.  The Family Readiness Group (FRG), have also been a major driving force in increasing the scope and donations of food items by providing the Sustainer ohana with food supplies in a non-judgmental manner, while affording others the opportunity to support those in need.

If you want to contribute, you can donate non-perishable items anytime by dropping your items in the collection boxes in any 25th DSB food pantry collection box.

• Date Taken: 01.30.2019
• Date Posted: 01.30.2019 20:34
• Story ID: 308896
• Location: SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US