With Thanksgiving supplies in hand, fort charity is now stocking gifts for Christmas

Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Review ^ | Bill Hess

[SandRat]

FORT HUACHUCA — With the handout of turkeys and food vouchers Wednesday, a major holiday problem for some military families has been answered. But with Thanksgiving needs met, still ahead for the fort’s outreach ministries program is Christmas.

Before noon, employees of Sundt Construction purchased and delivered 300 turkeys to the main post chapel administrative offices. The turkeys — with a total weight of more than 2 tons — will be handed out with $50 in food coupons for the post commissary.

Josephine Moore, who heads the outreach ministries, said the needs of 300 military families, ranging in size from three people to eight, were met this year through the generosity of contractors like Sundt, Michael’s Military Housing, R.L. Workman and others.

They were helped with individual gifts and collections taken by religious congregations on and off the fort.

Through monetary donations, $15,000 in food coupons were obtained, she said.

Even though the needs of the eating holiday have been satisfied for military family members, she, Patricia Reed and others are not getting any breathing space. Next, they need to finish up the annual giving tree program, which will purchase a toy, a set of clothing and a pair of shoes for 522 children.

The need this year increased by nearly 100 children, Moore said, noting that last year, the needs of 426 children of military family members were met.

The chaplain program sees to fulfilling gift requests while ensuring food for a Christmas meal is handled by the post’s Army Community Services, she said.

Every year, General Dynamics helps provides bicycles and tricycles to try to meet the desires of children, Moore said, noting that this year, there have been 62 such requests from kids.

But most children want small things, such as dolls, video games and sports equipment, she said.

The impulse to help

The holiday programs have been part of the chaplain programs since 1988, Moore said.

For three years, Reed has been an unpaid volunteer supporting the two holiday programs.

A few years ago, she said, she almost died because a blood clot entered her lungs. It was the quick response of medical personnel that saved her life.

“I almost died, but was brought back to life,” said Reed, who was named the post’s 2007 volunteer of the year.

Being part of the chaplain’s holiday programs is “a way to show I’m grateful for my life,” said Reed, who has been known to volunteer 60 hours a week.

As she and Moore talked about the two holidays, a retired Army sergeant major stopped by the office and gave the pair two toys. The toys were selected based on the needs listed by two children, whose cards he had taken off one of the giving trees. In order to protect the privacy of all the families seeking help, none of the cards have names on them.

Not wanting to be identified, the retired soldier said, “It’s part of our Army culture, and it’s steeped in our church values.”

Moore said a separate handmade decoration for each child is hung on a tree — one for a desired toy, one with the size of the child for clothing and another with shoe size.

That way, a person need only to take one card if they can only provide one gift, she said.

But, in some cases, people take many cards and purchase not only what is desired but also other items, Moore remarked.

In some cases, young, unmarried soldiers want to buy a gift for a child but don’t have much money, so they will purchase one of the items, the outreach ministries director said.

Trees are at each post chapel, at the post exchange, the Joint Interoperability Test Command headquarters, Greely Hall and the Mall at Sierra Vista, she said.

That the mall allows a giving tree on its property “shows me the community support and spirit they have,” Moore said.

As with the Thanksgiving program, donations come in from not only the military and civil service employees on post but also from contractors and members of the civilian community, Moore said.

She has been known to do last-minute shopping to ensure each child’s request is filled — a toy, clothing and shoes.

All unwrapped presents must be delivered to the main post chapel by Nov. 29, so Moore and Reed can go through them and see what requests have not been filled so the extra shopping can be done.

Then bagging begins for all the unwrapped gifts, so parents can pick up the gifts, Moore said. “The parents like to wrap their kids’ gifts,” she said.

This year with some soldiers deployed, others are taking care of children. Two grandparents have six grandchildren with gift needs, Moore said, adding that those children’s desires are some that will be filled by the chaplain program “when we hand them out on Dec. 15.”

Learn more

For more information about the upcoming Christmas gift tree program sponsored by the Fort Huachuca Outreach Ministries Program, call Josephine Moore at 533-4748.

Money donations may be made by check to Chaplains Tithes and Offering Fund and sent to Fort Huachuca Outreach Ministries, 2383 Smith Ave., Fort Huachuca, AZ 85613.

[SandRat]

Doug Utash of Sundt Construction Inc. helps carry turkeys into a facility at Fort Huachuca. Sundt donated 300 turkeys to be delivered to families at the post. (Ed Honda • Herald/Review)