Photo By Melissa Buckley | Jennifer Reinke, a management analyst for the Directorate of Resource Management, and...... read more read more
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — For the third year in a row, Fort Leonard Wood garrison employees have donated gifts and food baskets in support of the Garrison Gives program — ensuring fellow garrison employees have a merry holiday to look forward to.
“In the past we have had a handful of families, but this year we are supporting 19 families within the garrison. The Garrison Gives program is important because we can tangibly demonstrate to our employees that they matter, that we will take care of you,” said Connie Porterfield, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Leonard Wood executive officer, as she stacked boxes of donated gifts across the garrison’s conference room table Dec. 16 in Hoge Hall.
Within the 19 families participating this holiday season, garrison employees are providing gifts for 44 children.
“I hope all of us have the greatest memories of that time when you were young — when the magic of Christmas morning happens, or when those you are closest to and love the most, gather and break bread. I want every child to have that, and every parent get to see that joy on their faces,” Porterfield said.
Jennifer Reinke, a management analyst for the Directorate of Resource Management, spent much of Dec. 18 preparing food baskets for the families.
She said the families are anonymous, so directorates that adopt a family don’t know who they are donating to.
“In early November, we put out a call to the directors and a point of contact within their offices to send out to their staff for the requests. In return, the submissions are sent back to the team. These are uploaded to an anonymous database to allow for the rest of the garrison workforce to select from,” Reinke said.
As garrison employees were dropping off their donations Dec. 16, they could be heard saying phrases, such as, “My kids are all grown, I had so much fun shopping for these children,” and “I hope these families have the best Christmas.”
Reinke’s favorite day of the program isn’t the day the donations are dropped off; it is the day the gifts and food baskets are picked up by the families.
“Meeting the families the past couple years, hearing thank you and receiving hugs of gratitude is what makes Christmas magical for me,” Reinke said. “Christmas is celebrated with love, gratitude and giving to others. Helping others feel loved during the holidays is the best gift of all.”
Reinke said her garrison teammates do so much every day to support the mission at Fort Leonard Wood and she is proud to be a member of an organization that takes care of one another – especially during the holidays.
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2024 14:06 |
| Story ID: | 487983 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 12 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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