Soldiers, care package volunteers to meet at dinner

FORT DRUM — Soldiers who received care packages while deployed will have a chance to meet the people who put them together.

Members of the 277th Aviation Support Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion, 20th Combat Aviation Brigade and Intelligence and Sustainment Company for Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, are invited to dinner at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Hillside Lodge at Fort Drum. The dinner and the care packages are provided by Care Packages for Soldiers, a grass-roots project started by Grace M. Gates.

“I started this about five years ago. One of my grandsons was a Marine and served in Iraq,” Mrs. Gates said. “I would send him care packages with all sorts of things in it and he said to me, ‘Nana, if you hadn’t sent Christmas decorations, we wouldn’t have had any Christmas at all.’”

The organization has sent nearly 3,000 packages filled with “personal items, junk food, coffee, seasonal things” and other items chosen by those who pack them.

The care packages are important for many reasons, Mrs. Gates said. They boost morale and let soldiers know that someone stateside is thinking about them.

“I had a grandson-in-law who served overseas and not long after he got home he committed suicide,” she said. “It’s important to let them know that we truly care about them.”

Every soldier in the units receives a package. A dozen or so packages are sent to a chaplain overseas along with a letter asking the chaplain to distribute the boxes to soldiers who may not get a lot of mail.

“I’ve received so many emails and letters from soldiers telling us they really appreciate what we are doing for them,” Mrs. Gates said.

About 10 people help with packing, and fundraisers are held to help offset the cost.

“We’ve got it down pat but we can always use more help,” Mrs. Gates said. “It costs $12.95 to send each box and especially around the holidays, things get expensive. We spent $3,200 last year at Christmas. We always need volunteers and we always need money.”

At this year’s party, Mrs. Gates said, she is hoping to meet a lot of the soldiers and their families. She said the group is preparing enough food for nearly 400 people.

“This is the largest party that we’ve planned,” she said. “We do love our soldiers and we know that a lot of them go on leave, but we’re really hoping to meet a lot of them.”

The menu includes meatballs, chicken wings, pulled pork, chicken casseroles, cookies, cupcakes and more, Mrs. Gates said.

For information about volunteering, donating or the dinner Sunday, call Mrs. Gates at 287-0463.