Stuff the Humvee

Details: Created on Thursday, 19 November 2015 22:01; Written by Dan Reynolds

LYNDON - For the past four years, the Lyndon State College Student Veterans of America Association has been coming together to help donate and fundraise for the annual VT Supports Holiday Packing Event. Although the two organizations are not connected, the Student Veterans Association at Lyndon State has made it their goal to raise even more this year than they have in the past.

The Holiday Packing Event is an annual event held the first Saturday in December at the Saint Johnsbury Elks Club and supported by volunteers from the community. The event revolves around donations that are packed into boxes and sent overseas to service men and women who would otherwise not have access to some of the comforts of home, and the goal of sending 400 boxes by December 5th. Some of the materials being asked for are Coffee, non-perishable food items, candies, socks, powdered drink mix, stationary materials, as well as other small personal items.

The organization also collects money in order to cover the cost of shipping the items, and is holding a cosmic bowling event on November 28th at the Gold Crown Lanes as well as a silent auction. As of Thursday, the organization raised about $6,300 and is still accepting donations leading up to the event. Donations can be made online or sent in through the mail to VT S.U.P.P.O.R.T.S., p.o. box 522, St. Johnsbury VT 05819.

Last year, the event successfully shipped 351 boxes and hopes to reach it's goal this year with the help of drop off locations at Gold Crown Lanes, Kingdom Gymnastics, Horizon's Deli, Grace Church, and Lyndon State College.

To help increase the number of donations made this year, the donations site at Lyndon State College, run by the Veteran's Club, includes a Humvee provided by the National Guard. The goal is to "stuff the Humvee" - meaning that the club wants to fill the entire Humvee with donations. It's a program inspired by veteran students and alumni of the college, who want to continue to serve.

"You do it because you want to serve. You want to help, it's your personality. You volunteer to do this because it's who you are," Heather Morris, Lyndon State College Veteran's Club President and Navy Veteran said. "The cards, the hand-written cards that kids send from the schools, I think those mean more than anything you could put in a box and send overseas. When you’re deployed and you’re away, it makes you think, this is why we’re doing this, because these little kids are going to school everyday, they have the freedom to go to school everyday, they have the freedom to follow their dreams."

So far, the club has raised about $80 and filled about 1/4 of the Humvee (4 or 5 boxes), which is already more than the three they collected last year, but for the Veterans just being able to serve is what keeps them going.

"A lot of times people have families that send stuff, but a lot of these younger guys aren't married, they don't have a significant other back home, or their parents might not always have the money to send stuff, so to get something from home that reminds you of home makes all the difference," Brett Guertin, A Navy Veteran and LSC Veteran's Club's Acting Vice President said. "I always gave mine to someone else because my family comes from a military background, so they always made sure I got stuff. If i ever had got one, I always gave it to someone who didn't"

The Humvee and the donation boxes will remain on LSC campus until December 4th, when it will be collected, counted, and brought to the Elk's club to be shipped overseas.