Two assembly lines sit in the center of the room separating socks and soap from candy and chips. Volunteers bustle back and forth between the lines, while smaller groups gather in the corners building boxes or reading through letters written by school children and community members to bundle with the comforts of home in care packages for deployed military members.
Operation Community Cares packing event Nov. File Photo by Jordan B. Now in its 19th year, Operation Community Cares supports military personnel deployed across the world who may ache for home while their families mark the holidays with one fewer person at the table.
Ore, founder of the group. Ore created the group in after he met a soldier who had returned from Iraq and spoke about the comforts of home that were out of reach during his deployment. Inspired to show just how much the community cares about its military, Ore put together a group to send letters of encouragement and small items such as socks and hot sauce to support deployed service members. Ore also used this time to connect civilian families with military families to foster understanding and a build a support system not only for service members but also for their families.
According to Ore, they sent over packages during the first event and have since reached up to 1, boxes three times a year. Petry joined the cause with his wife and daughter in after a presentation from the nonprofit at the Rancho Cucamonga Chamber of Commerce. Petry said he is not a veteran but he felt drawn to the cause and wanted to show support and appreciation for those overseas.
In , Petry took over as president of the organization, allowing Ore to take a step back and spend more time with his family. The organization is completely supported by the community, from donations of cash and goods to lending a hand along the assembly line to get boxes packed and shipped out. At a recent package assembly event, volunteer Peggy Jarman sorted through multiple boxes of letters and cards sent in by schools, local organizations and members of the community.
