Right now, hundreds of V.I. National Guard troops are deployed overseas and missing home, so this weekend at the agriculture and food fair on St. Croix, the V.I. National Guard Family Readiness Group will collect for care packages and wants residents to help.
Saturday and Sunday, volunteers will collect canned and other nonperishable goods under the Guard’s tent. The tent is near the bridge adjacent to the food building on the eastern side of the fairgrounds. The drive will collect non-perishable local treats and cash donations for mailing boxes to V.I. Guardsmen deployed in Kosovo, Cuba and stateside. Two hundred care packages have to be wrapped and shipped. Residents can also volunteer to wrap care packages with the Family Readiness Group at the fair.
Overseas right now are the 661st Military Police Company in Kosovo, the 786th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion and the 51st Public Affairs Detachment in Cuba.
Over the years, care packages have become a welcome treat and an expression of love for deployed V.I. Guardsmen and women and those who work alongside them. It’s a chance for them to share V.I. culture with their fellow troops and to enjoy a taste of home.
If you can’t make it by the tent or are not on St. Croix, you can still help with cash. Call Darisa Grant at (340) 332-2123 to arrange to deliver a donation to the Family Program Office at the SFC Leonard B. Francis Armory. The Family Readiness Group is a non-profit volunteer organization promoting readiness, moral and welfare for families of those serving in the military. For more information, call Shirmel Gumbs-Heyliger at (340) 332-9592 or Nicolette Stout at (340) 332-3940.
Any good non-perishable food can go, especially if it is something typical to the U.S. Virgin Islands and not easily found elsewhere. Some good things to bring include:
- stew tamarind;
- tamarind balls;
- dondesla;
- stew gooseberry;
- peanut sugar cake;
- sugar cookies;
- coconut sugar cake;
- stew mango;
- black cake;
- Vita Malt;
- butter cookies
- homemade peppermint candy;
- local music CDs;
- money to help with shipping.
Many of these can be found at the fair itself, so you can stop by a vendor booth, walk over to the National Guard tent and drop off a thoughtful gift with little effort.
If you can’t make it by the tent or are not on St. Croix, you can still help with cash. Donations can be delivered to the Family Program Office at the SFC Leonard B. Francis Armory. Call Darisa Grant at 332-2123.The Family Readiness Group is a non-profit volunteer organization promoting readiness, moral and welfare for families of those serving in the military. For more information, call Shirmel Gumbs-Heyliger at 332-9592 or Nicolette Stout at 332-3940.
