400 Care Packages to be Shipped to Troops as Part of Operation Holiday Cheer

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 400 Care Packages to be Shipped to
Troops as Part of Operation Holiday Cheer  PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Today, Lt. Governor
Daniel J. McKee and Brigadier General Christopher P. Callahan joined over 100
volunteers at the Rhode Island National Guard Armory in Warwick to wrap up Operation
Holiday Cheer, a weekend-long event that sends care packages to Rhode Island troops
who are away from home during the holidays. The operation began on Saturday when
hundreds of donations were dropped off and sorted by volunteers at the armory. This
morning, Kasim Yarn, Director of Veterans Affairs, joined McKee and Callahan to lead
volunteers in assembling 400 care packages. Each package includes necessities like
toiletries and tube socks as well as special reminders of home like Autocrat Coffee
Syrup, a pound of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and packs of Del’s Lemonade. Troops will
also receive stockings stuffed by Rhode Island Blue Star Moms and holiday cards from
students across the state. “Operation Holiday Cheer brings Rhode Islanders together.
From combat veterans to boy scouts, we have people who have been volunteering for 7
years and some who joined us for the first time this weekend,” said McKee. “It is
inspiring to see our state standing by the men and women who do so much for us each
and every day. I am proud to carry on this tradition and I wish all Rhode Island
troops and their families a safe and happy holiday season.” Operation Holiday Cheer
is made possible through the generous support of sponsors including: AAA Southern
New England, AlphaGraphics, American Red Cross, Amica Mutual Insurance Company, Bank
Newport, Bank of America, Blue Star Moms, City of Warwick, CVS Health, Del’s
Lemonade, Dunkin’ Donuts, Electric Boat, Finlay Extracts & Ingredients, Girl Scouts
of Southeastern New England, Gold Star Moms, Hasbro, The Home Depot, Local 57
Operating Engineers, National Grid, The New England Patriots, Ocean State Job Lot,
The Pawtucket Red Sox, The Providence Journal, Rhode Island National Guard Family
Assistance Center, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, Stop & Shop, The U.S.
Postal Service – Providence, The Valley Breeze, Walmart and The Washington Trust
Company. Operation Holiday Cheer was launched 14 years ago by then-Lt. Governor
Charles Fogarty. Each year, the event is hosted by the Office of the Lieutenant
Governor, the Rhode Island National Guard’s Family Assistance Center, the Office of
Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Postal Service Providence Branch and the Rhode Island Red
Cross.