On Saturday, students, volunteers and public officials helped pack the boxes at the multi-purpose center in Susupe starting at 8 a.m. They completed the task before 10 a.m.
“The packing was done quickly because there were so many volunteers,” Geri Willis, founder and program director of Operation CNMI Homefront Support, told the Variety.
“We are extending a huge thank you to the CNMI community for the outpour of support and help. The soldiers are so appreciative of all the ‘goodies’ they receive from home,” Willis added.
In each box is a letter which states: “Happy holidays to you from your friends and family within the CNMI.
Operation CNMI Homefront Support is now in its third year of operation, with teams from NMC, MCV, IT&E and the American Red Cross to gather items to send to deployed military personnel from the CNMI. We want you to know that we appreciate your service to our country and that you’re in our hearts, prayers and on our minds.”
Operation Homefront Support extends its thanks to the various supporters who contributed items to be placed inside the care packages, including Northern Marianas College interim President Lorraine T. Cabrera for pencils and the campus-wide support, American Red Cross local chapter executive director John Hirsh for first aid kits, logistics, labeling and mailing, MCV’s Mark Birmingham for banners/stickers and TV Advertisements, IT&E’s Nola Hix for donating postage, ads, phone/text/computer support, Bridge Capital for donation of postage, Lt. Col. Ed Camacho for postage donation, U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan for boxes of cookies, CNMI senators for food donations, Sorensen Media Group, Power 99, and Tina Palacios for the radio coverage, CD’s, food items, the Saipan Rotary Club for Music CD’s, Jill Arenowski for Stampin’ Up Demonstrator letters, Eve Deleon Guerrero for hand-knit hats, Dr. Crystal Edminister and SDA Dental Clinic staff for toothbrushes toothpaste, and dental floss, David Atalig for media support, Cuki Alvarez for Trench Tech t-shirts and CD’s, Ian Carr for MMA fighter pictures, Rob Travilla for Salbahe Brand Co. t-shirts, Beach Road magazines, Judge David Wiseman, Doug Brennan of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, Joeten-Susupe/Price Costco/Super Fresh Market for in-store ads and donations, Tinian Fleming’s Store for in-store advertisement and donations, Herman’s Bakery for cookies, Genpo for dried mango, Island Apparel for t-shirts, Saipan Southern High School for canned goods, Marianas Visitors Authority for Saipan maps and carry bags, KSPN for media support, the Marianas Variety and the Saipan Tribune for copies of newspapers and articles of support, and anonymous donors of cases of coconut chips and betel nut.
Operation Homefront Support also thanked the Public School System for letters and drawings from elementary and high school students that were included in the care packages.
Operation Homefront Support has located only about 200 of the estimated 900 local servicemembers deployed to all over the world, but Willis said that they will still accept addresses of deployed servicemembers until Dec. 5.
Email names and addresses of servicemembers at [email protected].
Since it started two years ago, the group has sent over 500 care packages to troops abroad.
