Photo By Courtney Pollock | 210825-N-GA645-0062 NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (August 25, 2021) Paul Butler, the Red...... read more read more
The Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota community may be small, but in times of need it can always be counted on to rally in support. Whether they are assisting outside-the-gate organizations or loaning a helping hand to local schools, members of the Rota community continuously step up to make the world around them a little brighter.
This past week has been no exception, as Rota community members quickly organized and began collecting, sorting, and distributing donations to support the Department of State mission, Operation Allies Refuge, to facilitate the safe departure and relocation of U.S. citizens, Special Immigration Visa recipients, and vulnerable populations from Afghanistan.
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) Rota took the lead in accepting and sorting the donations.
“This is a natural extension of our Thrift Shop operations, but on a much larger scale,” said Katie McCarthy, director of NMCRS Rota.
Thrift Shop volunteers were on hand to train the new volunteers on how to receive, sort, process, and inventory all donated items. According to McCarthy, once a need presented itself, the items were then sent out into the field.
One of these needs was the creation of a breastfeeding room, complete with essential baby items such as diapers, wipes, baby bottles, and formula donated by the community. Personnel also organized many of the donated toys into age-appropriate activity kits to be distributed at the evacuee in-processing location.
Many from the community wanted to be directly involved with efforts, so NMCRS created an online sign-up for volunteers. The list has since grown to more than 400 volunteers.
With support from American Red Cross, Rota Area Welfare League (RAWL), and USO Rota, NMCRS Rota organized multiple volunteer orientations to relay general information on the situation, as well as letting community members know about volunteer opportunities.
“The goal of the volunteer orientation was to engage the community and let them know everything out there,” said McCarthy. “We were constantly getting different information from different sources, so we wanted to consolidate all the efforts to have it coming from one place.”
After the orientation, community members signed up for the volunteer opportunities that fit best – everything from behind-the-scenes efforts like donation collection and sorting, to providing snacks and drinks to evacuees at the in-processing center or providing support to service members while on duty.
As the installation transitioned from preparatory to implementation phases, the functions of the base organizations and volunteers shifted to meet new needs.
“We've been serving meals… greeting passengers at the terminal, assisting with setting up beds, and at the flight line passing out toys to children,” said Paul Butler, the Red Cross regional program manager at NAVSTA Rota.
A primary function for the American Red Cross after evacuee arrivals is providing volunteers for each of the three meal shifts. Butler said at least 10 volunteers are required per shift, and the Rota community responded with more than 150 new volunteers signing up.
For USO Rota, their primary focus is supporting the military and volunteers through two around-the-clock snack and beverage stations and assisting with food and snack donation distribution to the evacuees.
“Our mission is to be the ‘force behind the forces’ and to ensure that our military service members, civilians, and volunteers who are executing this operation are taken care of,” said Kayla Clark, center manager for USO Rota.
The two locations – one by the in-processing center and another by the temporary housing facility – are stocked with freshly brewed coffee, cold soft drinks, water, and snacks. These locations provide refreshments to more than 300 active duty personnel, civilians and volunteers assisting in the efforts.
Clark is humbled by the response from the community to volunteer in what she describes as a “heartwarming and connecting moment.”
As the situation has evolved, the Rota community has adapted to the developing needs of the evacuees, proving that they are prepared to support in any way possible. From updated requests for specific baby supplies to adaptors for charging electronics, the community rushes to provide what is needed.
Butler explained that helping out with Operation Allies Refuge is not just his job, but something more.
“My grandchildren are the ages of those little children coming off the planes,” he said. “I can easily picture my children and grandchildren as the ones coming off the plane.”
At the end of the day, that sentiment – that we see a piece of ourselves, our families, or our friends in each of them – has led many within the community to step up to help these evacuees during this time of constant change. Each community member hoping that they are able to bring a smile or a bit of comfort to those transiting through Rota in hopes of a brighter future.
| Date Taken: | 09.03.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.03.2021 05:02 |
| Story ID: | 404490 |
| Location: | ROTA, ES |
| Web Views: | 439 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Rota Community Comes Through for Evacuees, by Courtney Pollock, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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