Operation Care donates goods to Afghans, Soldiers

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Service members volunteering with Operation Care distributed more than 150 care packages filled with basic necessity items to Afghans exiting the entry control point near the Egyptian Hospital on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan May 29.

U.S. humanitarian organizations and personnel stationed on Bagram donated the items in the packages.

“We know that we aren’t going to win the war by kicking down doors,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Derek Melendez a 1st Cavalry Division, Combined Joint Task Force-1, intelligence sergeant and the assistant director of Operation Care, from Philadelphia. “The way we are going to win is through the support of the people, so we provide what little amenities that we can and try to build a stronger relationship with the locals here in Bagram.”

Operation Care is dedicated to the welfare of both the people of Afghanistan and International Security Assistance Forces, according to their mission statement. The program is a part of counter insurgency deployed by ISAF to fight the insurgency.

Clothing, food, pens, pencils, schoolbooks and other school supplies are a big part of what the program distributes to the Afghan people. Amidst the poverty-stricken families, items like this are often considered frivolous but according to Melendez, the children would disagree.
   
“The kids are more vocal and they will tell you that they don’t have things like books,” said Melendez. “For them, it means being able to go to school and have the basic supplies and things that they need to just be a student.”

The volunteers don’t let this request go unheard, and the Afghan children make sure they know how grateful they are, he said.

“They’re always happy and excited when we come,” said Melendez. “They’re always very grateful, saying thanks for the help that we provide to them.”

This gratitude, while more than enough payment, is not the only reason the service members said they take the time out of their day to help the program.

“It is a way to give back and help out. I feel that there is a part of Afghanistan that I didn’t get to see,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Heidi Lansing, a land management noncommissioned officer from Ely, Iowa, part of Company B, 334th Brigade Support Battalion, Task Force Archer, a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls. “I volunteer in order to do something and help out where I can, it is an aspect of our military jobs that I enjoy.”

Selfless service and doing what is right are common themes among the volunteers but some said they have more personal reasons.

“I grew up without a lot of things, so for me (it’s about being able) to give back and not have a kid go to school without a book or spend a winter without a warm coat and the basic necessities that we take for granted,” said Melendez. “I think it is a good thing to do, giving back to the people. No matter what country you are in.”

The program distributes packages to more than just locals. They also send basic supplies out to service members stationed at remote outposts.

“I think that the packages let the Soldiers know that somebody cares for them,” said Lansing. “We put the basics into the packages what many of the Soldiers without Post Exchanges can’t get. So I am pretty sure that they are grateful for what we send them.”

The volunteers work with Operation Care in their off-time three days a week to sort and assemble the packages for distribution. They said they do it because they know how important the items are to both the Afghans and service members.
 
“What I have learned since I have been working with Operation Care is the overwhelming generosity of the American people,” said Lansing. “We get so many packages from individuals to large organizations or groups.”

Lansing makes sure all the contributors know their donations are appreciated.

“I write thank you letters to all the people and organizations telling them how much everything they are sending means to the Soldiers and Afghan people,” she said.

The distributions occur once every 30 days, but the program needs volunteers through the week to prep the items.

For more information or to volunteer, visit www.operationcareafghanistan.net.