Photo By AnnMarie Harvie | Col. Justin R. Pabis, PE, New England District Commander, Lt. Col. David MacPhail,...... read more read more
When news that the Army/Navy football game was coming to Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, New England District team members quickly took sides.
“Go Army! Go Navy!” could be heard in the hallways leading up to the game. That competitive spirit inspired Linnea Shirley, Public Affairs, to channel that energy for good.
Shirley, a U.S. Air Force Veteran, quickly organized the first New England District’s Army vs. Navy Food Drive to benefit local Veterans. She set up two containers at the front lobby of New England District Headquarters at Concord Park, Concord, Massachusetts – one representing the Army team and one representing the Navy team – and put up flyers advertising the competition that would run from Nov. 1 through Dec. 6, 2023.
“I’m very passionate about Veterans and being able to help them. The holidays can be a very tough time for a Veteran and if this helps in even a small way, it is worth it.” said Shirley about what inspired her to start the food drive. “Being able to incorporate the Army/Navy game to engage with employees made it even more special.”
Almost as soon as the containers went up, the competition was on, and donations began to appear. The voluntary food drive spoke to the competitive who wanted their team to win and the compassionate who wanted to assist Veterans in need.
“The New England District team really came through for the Veterans and provided a variety of non-perishable food in jars, cans and sealed packets.” explained Shirley. “Each donation item was worth one point towards their team and if it was a bulk item, I counted how many items were in the package.”
Shirley emphasized that the New England District team live and work in the community so the food drive was personal to many who have a Veteran in their lives.
In the end, much like the football game, Army came out victorious with a 264 to 243 win. In total the New England District team donated 507 food items, an amazing turnout for the first ever food drive.
Shirley, Col. Justin Pabis, PE, New England District Commander, Lt. Col. David MacPhail, Deputy District Commander, Emily Berry, Executive Office and Air Force Veteran Alex Wagner, Safety, delivered the food to the Coalition for a Better Acre in Lowell, Massachusetts where representatives from all five agencies receiving the donations gathered to pick up food to distribute to Veterans.
Those agencies were:
Lowell Vet Center
Lowell Community Based Outpatient Clinic (Dept. of Veteran Affairs)
Lowell Veteran Service Office
Lowell Senior Center
Coalition for a Better Acre (Lowell)
Col. Pabis commended Shirley for her hard work that made the food drive so successful.
“Linnea did a really great job coordinating the drive,” he said. “Thank you for putting this together for our Veterans.”
No special prize was given to the Army side of the competition, except bragging rights that they won over Navy. When the New England District team comes together for a just cause, there are no losers. Navy can try again at next year’s food drive.
| Date Taken: | 01.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.16.2024 11:07 |
| Story ID: | 476321 |
| Location: | CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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