Photo By Sgt. Aaron Hostutler | Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeff Rose, a supply technician with the 35th Logistics Readiness...... read more read more
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CAMP FOSTER, Japan — Volunteers on Okinawa provided a meal to 26 families, temporarily displaced from mainland Japan by the March 11 natural disasters, April 13 at the Westpac Inn as part of an ongoing weekly effort to ease the burden of leaving their homes.
The families were unable to travel to the U.S. because each of the mothers were more than 32 weeks pregnant.
Julie Leppelmeier, a military spouse here, heard about the families and knew there were many who would volunteer to help these families feel welcome on Okinawa.
“You cannot compete with military wives when it comes to feeding people,” said Leppelmeier. “It’s something we know how to do.”
The April 13 meal was typical of those provided by volunteers. It included various salads, fried and grilled chicken, corn, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, cookies, muffins, cake, pie and fresh fruit.
Leppelmeier coordinated hosting the dinner once a week for the displaced families. Most of the families are staying at the Westpac Inn here, though some families are staying at the Stork’s Nest on Camp Lester and at the Shogun Inn on Kadena Air Base.
“I sent out a list of dates to everyone I knew and said, ‘What can you do?’” she said. “Within 24 hours every date was spoken for.”
Leppelmeier found she almost had too many volunteers. There were so many volunteers, she doubled them up to alternate providing dinners on the different days.
“We had every kind of group: church groups, mom groups, coffee groups, running groups,” she said.
The groups have provided meals large enough for leftovers for days afterward.
The families that traveled here from mainland had banded together to provide mutual support and used this meal together as an opportunity to strengthen their bonds with one another.
“Everyone gets together here that was sent here,” said Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Donlon, the father of one of the families displaced from Yokosuka Naval Base on mainland Japan.
“All the pregnant families, we all kind of know each other now. It’s a good thing each week to have all this food and stuff and see everybody in a gathering. It’s a weird situation anyway, but this is something nice in the middle of all of it.”
“The last thing these families want to do after running around to their appointments all day is come back and cook a meal in their tiny kitchenettes,” said Marisa Thresher, the Marine representative for Soldiers’ Angels, a nonprofit organization that assists military service members, veterans and family members across the globe.
In addition to the food, volunteers donated baby clothes, blankets, diapers and toys to help support the families because some of the relocated women have given birth since their arrival.
Regardless of the organization the volunteers represent or how they helped, they all unified under the same goal – to support these families in need.
“No matter what label you throw on there, when it comes to supporting, everyone wants to pitch in,” Thresher said.
The meals started as soon as the families arrived and are scheduled to continue until the last family departs.
| Date Taken: | 04.13.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2011 20:12 |
| Story ID: | 69284 |
| Location: | CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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