Gallery • 4 Photos

Juliette Montes

Camouflage uniforms, hardware helmets, and olive green vests strapped onto their chest in preparation for today’s task. Mixture of greens to disguise with the woods behind them is all in a day’s work in training the military who fight for their country. However, times far across the sea are long and tiring, and being away from home brings difficulties like homesickness, and many are away from months on end. With the grand help from Ms. Papadopolo and her group of seniors, there is now a project to give back to those individuals. 

Ms. Papadopolo is the ESE support facilitator for the seniors of PPCHS, and with a group of 15-20 seniors, they have decided on providing their time towards this organization’s goal. By accumulating the desired items, Ms. Papadopolo will “send [the boxes] to the military personnel that are then deployed overseas.”

Items including lip balm, baby wipes, individual bags of chips and much more will be organized into care packages to then be shipped to the Armed Forces that are traveling overseas. With a goal of forming 25 packages, she along with multiple seniors will be donating their packages to the ‘Military Heroes Support Foundation’. 

This specific project struck a chord in Ms. Papadopolo’s heart as she witnessed the military men receiving such wondrous packages. “They’re young, and some of them just got out of high school, [they’re] in their twenties.” Strapped in their uniform, smiling grandly at the camera and such photos published on their website, it was the green light to move along with this project. 

The acts of forming such plentiful packages is what Ms. Papadopolo describes what the seniors are doing as like “[they’re] sending a piece of home”. Whether it be gum or a snack that can only be collected from their hometown, it gives them that savory taste and/or feel of being in the comfort of their home without being within its four walls. 

This won’t be the only time they will be contributing. “We’ll do a Christmas one and then we should do one next year,” she says. With even more possible additions to their care packages as well, despite how small it is currently, the plans to grow its popularity within PPCHS is grand and possible.

In addition to cards to bring smiles to the military men and women’s faces, the seniors strive to support such a powerful group in any way they can. The grand feeling of satisfaction that comes with donating products to men and women risking their life to protect the country is, in the end, the greatest feeling that can be felt. Wherever their steps take them, they continue to fight alongside their home with their small gifts.