By ACAN Amy Hudek, Naval Station Norfolk Public Affairs Office
NORFOLK, Va. (May 18, 2021)- The First Class Petty Officer Association (FCPOA) at Naval Station Norfolk hosted a donation collection during the month of May for the Fisher House Foundation.
The Fisher House Foundation builds comfort homes for active duty military and veteran families where they can stay free of charge while a loved one is in the hospital. It was founded in 1990 and is an international foundation, usually located near large hospitals.
Due to COVID-19, the FCPOA had to adhere to HPCON Charlie restrictions.
“We wanted to give back while still adhering to Charlie restrictions,” explains Master-at-Arms 1st Class Alexandra Johnson. “We wanted to get as many donations as possible on behalf of Naval Station Norfolk.”
Johnson was in charge of organizing the event. She became a first class petty officer in 2020 and began participating in the FCPOA in January 2021. She has been stationed at Naval Station Norfolk for a little over three years.
“Since selecting a new board in October, this was the first thing outside of base clean ups we have been able to do due to covid restrictions,” desribes Religious Program Specialist 1st Class, Christopher Atwood.
First class petty officers collected items each Thursday during the month of May from 1300-1500 in the chapel parking lot on base.
“I had not heard of the Fisher House. MA1 Jessica Peña had worked with them in the past. I did research on the Fisher House and decided it would be a good program to give back to,” describes Johnson.
The Fisher House Foundation is asking for donations of various items. These items include laundry and cleaning supplies, gift cards to places such as Food Lion and Lowes, kitchen and food items, and personal hygiene items.
There are a total of 91 houses in operation and since 1990, 413,000 families have been served and have saved them a total of $525 million. In 2020 alone, the Fisher House served 13,000 families around the world. The daily capacity is about 1,200 families.
Fisher Houses are given to the military families and veterans as a gift, and the commander or director of each medical center where the houses are located are responsible for deciding the eligibility, priorities, and selection criteria. There is no charge to stay at the Fisher House; all room fees are paid for by the Fisher House Foundation.
“It feels good to be able to do something to give back to the community.” states Johnson.
For more information, visit fisherhouse.org.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.25.2021 08:16 |
| Story ID: | 397311 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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