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Grand Forks Airmen, Youth Commission assemble care packages for deployed troops

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Susan L. Davis
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS, N.D. --  About a dozen service members from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., teamed up with the mayor's office and 35 members of the Grand Forks Youth Commission April 27, 2013, to assemble care packages for deployed troops.

The effort on the part of the Airmen was led by Master Sgt. Jesse Maki, Grand Forks Air Force Base Airman & Family Readiness Center superintendent; Margarita Consing, a student at Red River High School, led the Youth Commission.

"We came up with the idea for this project in January, so it hasn't taken very long to plan," said Consing. "We wanted to do this because we look up to these troops as our heroes and mentors, and they are all from our community."

The boxes contained a variety of foods and hygiene items donated by the community, as well as hand-written thank-yous and group photos of the students of the Grand Forks Youth Commission.

Volunteers made short work of the nearly 200 boxes of goods, totaling about $5,500 in value. They formed assembly lines to pack and close the boxes, then filled out customs forms to prepare them for shipping. About 90 active-duty Airmen and a dozen North Dakota Air National Guardsmen are set to receive the packages.

"Helping out with these care packages is a perfect opportunity for me to give back what was done for me when I was deployed," said Senior Airman Daryl Klepsa-Andries, 319th Force Support Squadron. "It means so much to get these while you're downrange; a lot of these items are hard to come by."

Staff Sgt. Christopher Young, 319th Force Support Squadron, agreed.

"These care packages are a godsend when you're deployed, especially in remote locations," he said. "It's really nice to get things from home."

Mayor Michael R. Brown spoke very highly of all the volunteers who gave their time and effort to make the event a success.

"I am so proud of everyone who came and helped out today," he said. "Here they are making a positive difference in people's lives, and they're enjoying themselves while they do it."

Maki said that he was also very pleased with the volunteer turnout and the project overall.

"This was a great turnout and the Grand Forks Youth Commission did an outstanding job promoting this event throughout the community," he said. "It was humbling to see the junior leaders in our community go to the lengths they did to support our deployed Airmen and Soldiers. I think I can speak for the recipients of the care packages in saying a heart-felt thank you to the city of Grand Forks, the Youth Commission and all the volunteers for a job well done."

Maki said he looks forward to doing the project again next year.

"The support I received from Mayor Brown and his office was incredible and I certainly look forward to working with them in the near future," he said. "We have already discussed preliminary plans for next year's campaign and I can tell you everyone is very motivated to work together. The bar has been set very high."