Garden Center Sprouts 540 Mahalo Gifts
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During Martin Luther King Day last month, Office Max employees not only honored the civil rights hero but also those currently serving in the U.S. armed forces by assembling 540 “Hero Packs” as a part of Operation: Military Kids.
They met at the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City to assemble letters of support and thanks to military children as well as journals, deployment calendars and school supplies. The letters were from Hawaii children and, while the Hero Packs’ core items came from the national OMK, Office Max paid for additional items.
“We had about 30 people with OMK team members and Office Max employees combined filling the packs,” said Claire Nakatsuka, 4-H Club extension educator and OMK member. “We also have members from each branch of service on our team, not only active duty but reserve and guard as well, so we’re very well-rounded.”
Hero Packs will be given to children of deployed Hawaii guard and reserve soldiers and will be distributed at military events.
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OMK is the U.S. Army’s collaborative effort with civilian communities to support the children and youths affected by deployments each year. Officially launched in April 2005, the initiative has touched the lives of more than 65,000 youths and provided information to more than 7,200 residents across the nation. Locally, OMK meets every other month at Urban Garden Center (the next meeting is in March).
Hawaii is one of 42 states participating in OMK, which has six components: babysitting workshops, Speak Out for Military Kids, The Mobile Technology Lab, Youth Focused Programs, Hero Packs and Ready, Set, Go!, a training program to understand military culture and the deployment cycle and meet the kids’ needs.
For more information or to donate, call 956-7196 or visit www.operationmilitarykids.org.
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