Photo By John Goulette | A military spouse holds her Thanksgiving meal basket given to her by the PoM religious...... read more read more
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. (Nov. 27, 2024) – Cars lined up at the General Stilwell Community Center on Nov. 21 to pick up their free Thanksgiving meal baskets reserved through the religious support office.
The PoM religious support office supports this event annually, which is designed to alleviate some stress of the servicemembers stationed at PoM who already have extremely busy schedules.
“The holiday season is stressful for everyone, but especially for the servicemembers here,” said Sgt. Brian Bills, PoM religious support non-commissioned officer. “Many of them already have the stress of studying a language, and on top of that aren’t spending Thanksgiving with their extended families. These baskets are simple, but we hope that it can reduce the stress of Thanksgiving.”
PoM’s religious support office funded the baskets through the local offering funds, which are funds given to them by parishioners of their religious services. Each of the 100 baskets contained a full turkey, stuffing, canned vegetables and a bag of potatoes. All items were procured from the Ord Community Commissary, who worked with RSO to give them a bulk discount for the items.
“We decided to hold this event at the Stilwell Center because this is also the location of Army Community Service,” Bills said. “We want servicemembers to know where else they can seek assistance for any issues they might have, and a lot of them don’t know about the services that ACS provides.”
Along with the annual Thanksgiving basket giveaway, the religious support office supports numerous events around PoM. This includes the National Day of Prayer and Four Chaplains Day. They receive their tithe funding through the donations given during the weekly religious services they provide, which include Catholic, Protestant, Islamic and Mormon services. They also assist servicemembers of other faiths which they do not cover in finding a local institution that can provide them service.
PoM’s religious support office plays a vital role in providing spiritual support and services to military personnel, their families and civilians within the garrison community. The office is led by Chaplains and Religious Support Specialists, which are some of the only uniformed servicemembers serving U.S. Army Garrison PoM. Their primary responsibilities include providing pastoral care, counseling and spiritual guidance for all individuals, regardless of their faith background. By offering a range of spiritual services and programs, the religious support office helps to foster a sense of community, promote resilience and support the overall well-being of all those on the garrison.
“A big part of my job is just being an ear and letting people vent to me,” Bills said. “A lot of the time that is exactly what a servicemember needs, just to vent their frustrations and seek help outside of their chain of command. We are always available to speak to anyone on the garrison about anything, and we are one of the few groups in the Army who have confidentiality.”
To find more information on PoM’s religious support office and the services they provide please visit: https://home.army.mil/monterey/my-fort/all-services/chaplain-1. You can also visit them in-person at the on-base chapel annex located directly next to the PoM chapel, at 324 Stilwell Road.
| Date Taken: | 11.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.27.2024 14:04 |
| Story ID: | 486308 |
| Location: | CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 6 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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