Local seniors receive 73K-pounds of food

During the onset of a rainy Saturday, most people would rather sleep in, but that was not the case with Airmen and community partners at the Hawaiian Foodbank center.

More than 30 Airmen came together and packaged 73,500 pounds of food with the Hawaiian Foodbank to serve local senior citizens living on the islands of Oahu and Kauai.

"This community event allowed our Airmen to get out and help others," said Senior Master Sgt. Andrew Flora, Pacific Air Forces aerospace physiology functional manager. "Here's another way to show our local Ohana that we're here to help and meet the needs of the nation, in more ways than national defense."

The Hawaii Foodbank in Honolulu distributes 2,000 food boxes monthly to seniors on two of the Hawaiian islands.

"When the military volunteers arrive, it's always a fun bunch filled with high energy," said Jennifer Schantz, Hawaii Foodbank senior box coordinator.

"Without volunteers, we would not be able to do this because we simply don't have enough manpower to do so," said Schantz. "As a military spouse of a retired Air Force veteran, it's phenomenal to see the capacity that these Airmen have and the willingness to give back to the community on their off-duty time."

Airmen spent time tearing down boxes, sorting food items, and taping and packing boxes alongside other Airmen from across the island.

For some, this was a practical way of demonstrating the importance of the whole airman concept.

"There's more to life than just doing a job, " said Senior Master Sgt. Heather Jerrell, Pacific Air Forces weapons safety superintendent. "Having a common goal and working with others to achieve it allows you to focus on something bigger than yourself, it also makes you a more well-rounded individual. "

A byproduct of this volunteer event was the opportunity for airmen to meet new people.

"It's an opportunity to build fellowship and authentic relationships with those in and out of the uniform," said Senior Master Sgt. James Jerrell, Pacific Air Forces command munitions manager. "We're here to help and serve our Airmen and the local community. We can't just talk about leading. We have to show our Airmen what leading looks like, in the front and in person.”

To find out about future volunteer opportunities, please contact Senior Master Sgt. Andrew Flora at Andrew.Flora@us.af.mil.