This is part of WTOP’s continuing coverage of people making a difference from our community reported by Stephanie Gaines-Bryant. Read more of that coverage.
A Northern Virginia-based nonprofit will be wrapping packages on Christmas Day for U.S. service members deployed around the world during the “America’s Adopt-A-Soldier 13th Annual Christmas Day Give Back.”
While tens of thousands of service members are away from home, their support groups or loved ones during the holidays, Mary Keeser, founder and president of the program, is working to send service members “a hug from home” through care packages.
“Everybody that we receive a request from during the holidays, hopefully, we can get out a package to them,” Keeser said.
Keeser said the group packs items that are needed overseas — personal items, baby wipes, coffee, candy, cards, games, puzzles, writing material and powdered fruit drinks, to name a few.
She says the boxes also include 10 to 20 care letters from people across the United States, from four-year-olds to adults with a spouse or child who served.
Keeser told a story to WTOP News that was told to her by a first sergeant who had returned from overseas several years ago.
He said that after opening a care package, one of the service members put his head in one of the care boxes and said “First Sergeant, I just want to smell home.”
The organization began in 2009 out of the need to help service veterans, homeless veterans, veterans’ hospitals and military families, Keeser said, adding that she is a retired Army Officer herself and comes from a family of service members.
“Continuing to serve our military families and those deployed is an honor,” she said.
The Christmas packing activity began over 13 years ago when she was contacted by single service members in the D.C. area who needed a place to go, because they couldn’t make it home for the holidays.
Keeser said those service members wanted to be around people, to socialize, to feel the holiday spirit and to give back to other service members who were deployed.
How you can help
The Adopt-A-Soldier volunteer force is vital to what they do, she said. The program has a whole host of volunteers, but Keeser said more are needed.
The organization will be packing between 100-150 boxes for service members for the “America’s Adopt-A-Soldier 13th Annual Christmas Day Give Back” program on Monday, Dec. 25 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the American Legion Post 176 located at 6520 Amherst Avenue in Springfield, Virginia.
To register for the Christmas Day event, you can visit AmericasAdoptaSoldier.eventbrite.com. The group is also accepting toys for its toy bunker at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Adopt-A-Soldier encourages you to mail new toys to 5400 Shawnee Road, Suite 300, Alexandria, Virginia. You can also ship them to P.O. Box 1049 Springfield, Virginia, 22151.
