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Deployed Fairchild Airmen to receive care packages from community

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Buzanowski
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  In an effort to reach all of Fairchild's deployed Airmen this holiday season, the enlisted and officers' spouses clubs and the first sergeants council accepted care package donations from the community last week as part of KREM 2's Treats for Troops program.    

More than 30 volunteers assembled care packages at Fairchild's Deel Community Center on Veteran's Day, Nov. 11; these couple hundred boxes were delivered to the base's post office Nov. 14. 

Donations of care package items and money to cover the shipping costs were spearheaded by KREM 2 News' Treats for Troops program then donated to base private organizations for distribution. Other significant contributors include Country Homes Power, Heritage Funeral Home, Bank of America and Numerica. Hundreds from the Spokane, Moses Lake and Pullman communities have supported this effort to make deployed Fairchild Airmen feel appreciated this holiday season. 

In addition to the communities' donations the Air Force ROTC Detachment 905, Pullman, Wash., delivered more than 800 pounds and $1,200 to Fairchild Nov. 9. Twenty-four of the Air Force's future leaders, who are also affiliated with the Arnold Air Society, adopted the slogan "serve those who serve us" as they decided upon this community service project, said Capt. Paul Brewer, the detachment's operations flight commander. 

The detachment's outreach efforts included communities in Moscow, Idaho and Colfax, Wash. A recent base tour at Fairchild prompted them to reach out to the base's private organizations who could accept the donations as part of this mass effort from the surrounding communities. 

"It was just amazing," said Senior Master Sgt. James Fink, president of the first sergeants' council, as he described box after box after box that was unloaded at Fairchild Nov. 9. Fink was an integral part of getting care packages mailed out by working with the other first sergeants to make sure they reached as many deployed Fairchild Airmen as possible.

Aimee Berger, president of the enlisted spouses club, helped coordinate volunteers, was a liaison with the community collection points at Country Homes Power locations and worked with the Fairchild post office to ensure the mailing on Nov. 14 went smoothly. "It was so exciting watching the whole thing come together. The community here is so supportive."