For more than 130 years, the American Red Cross has provided comfort and support to members of the United States military, veterans, and their families. For the last several years, members of the American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey Board of Directors have supported the men and women serving our country by sending care packages overseas.
Again this year, Board members coordinated a collection of items for the troops through the region’s Service to Armed Forces Adopt-A-Unit Campaign. Board members invited family members and co-workers to get involved. The collection of items includes personal care items, playing cards and puzzles, and an array of comfort foods like granola bars, pretzels, cocoa and candies.
“I continue to be impressed by the stellar efforts by members of the Board of Directors that make this campaign more and more of a success each year,” said Jocelyn Gilman, executive director, American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey. “My heartfelt thanks to Mission and Capacity Building Committee Chair Man Lee with Nisivoccia LLP for all her hard work leading these efforts.”
On Saturday, March 9, 2019, Board members, their co-workers and families gathered at the UPS Innovation Center in Parsippany. More than 100 people were on hand and volunteered to help sort donated items and pack up Comforts of Home care packages to be sent to military members serving overseas. Many participants, especially children, also made cards and wrote notes of thanks and encouragement to be added to the care packages. These special notes, along with some of the donated personal care items, will be shared with veterans in New Jersey during visits by our Service to the Armed Forces team of volunteers.
Everyone’s collaborative efforts have 175 care packages ready to ship out to military members serving overseas. In addition, donated items were also delivered to the Red Cross location at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst and are available for military families.
The Red Cross New Jersey Region salutes Man Lee and all of the Board members, along with their co-workers, friends and families, who helped make the campaign successful. Kudos to Ed Susco of Audio Visual Associates, Paul Sullivan of Verizon, Richard Schwabacher of Quest Diagnostics, and Judeann Strauss of UPS – who hosted the pack up event with excellent coordination assistance by UPS employee Alfredo Pujadas.
Learn more about how we help military families through Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces.
