A partnership between the Rotary Club of Hillsborough and Operation Shoebox New Jersey resulted in nearly 1,200 care packages that are now prepped and ready for delivery to members of our armed forces abroad, thanks to the fifth annual Christmas Packing Event.
For nearly four hours on Saturday, Dec. 3, volunteers from Hillsborough and the surrounding area worked to collect and package donations of toiletries, foods and treats for their delivery to Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas in the Middle East.
The packages contain some of the most requested items by military personnel, including canned tuna, canned fruit, boxes of cereal, dried fruit, trail mix, granola bars, beef jerky, small tubes of toothpaste, toothbrushes, small packets of moist wipes, soap, deodorant, small canisters of powder and small bottles of shampoo.
“The holiday season is a particularly difficult time for military to be away from home and family,” Hillsborough Rotary Club President Abed Medawar said. “Receiving a package from home filled with familiar items goes a long way in keeping up morale.”
This year’s turnout came close to mirroring last year’s packaging event, which saw the collection of more than 1,500 packages.
Using an almost assembly line method, volunteers worked to package items into individual bags, which were then grouped together into small boxes and then into larger containers for shipment abroad.
In keeping with the donor-supported nature of the event, Rotary Club officials said the cost of shipping the packages was funded by donations from the Hillsborough Rotary and the public.
Mr. Medawar said the Rotary’s continued partnership with Operation Shoebox New Jersey, which is also based out of Hillsborough, is a “perfect example” of the group’s mission.
“The overwhelming volunteer turnout continues to demonstrate just how important this event has become to our community,” he said.
