Mission Complete: 700 Care Packages Bound for Afghanistan

Today some 700 care packages will begin an 8,000 mile journey from a tiny warehouse in Cerritos to the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan and into the hands of some very deserving and appreciative Marines.

The Friends of the 1st CEB of Cerritos gathered for the sixth time in the past five years to assemble 70-pound shipping boxes packed with everything from toothpaste and toiletries to homemade cookies and hot sauce. They will be mailed to the Combat Engineering Battalion of the United States Marine Corps, stationed at Camp Pendleton, which was deployed to Afghanistan in January and is expected to be there until around Christmas.

More than 100 volunteers turned out for the event, which is part of the year-round support provided by the all-volunteer, non-profit Adoption Committee for the soldiers in the 1st CEB who comprise nine combat units spread across parts of Afghanistan.

The shipping boxes are expected to take 3-4 weeks before reaching the soldiers.

“It’s a great turnout,” said Charles "Chuck" Sooter, founding president of the Adoption Committee who came up with the idea and pushed the city council to approve it on Veterans Day 2007. “The boxes are all filled with bags and topped off with items to make 70 pounds. We’ve had a lot of great donations and a lot of good help from our volunteers. It’s a partnership with the city—that’s what makes it work.”

The volunteers were a good mix of young and old, men and women, boys and girls, and veterans and first-timers to the event. And everyone seemed to be having a good time helping out.

“I think this is awesome,” said Chris Tislow, who has been to every care package event and even designed the logo on the canvas bags. “My son is here, too. I think it’s important that he learn how to show gratitude, especially for our soldiers.”

Jan Jensen, a former teacher at Whitney High School in Cerritos, brought her Key Club members to help assemble the care packages. She also helped donate taco sauce and foot wipes, and said she looks forward to coming every year.

“This is my third time doing this. It’s a great project and I’m glad to see that more young people are getting involved,” said Jensen, who didn’t let a sling on her left arm slow her down in gathering the items. “My kids baked cookies yesterday because they wanted to do something themselves and not go and buy it. Bless their hearts.”

Joining the volunteers were several current council members, including Mayor Jim Edwards and former mayor Carol Chen.

“This is such a great event and partnership between the city and the volunteers,” said Chen, who tied care packages once they were filled. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

David Vensteeg, who was there with his wife and two sons, said that he first learned about the event two weeks ago. And despite several personal obstacles and family obligations over the past week, they managed to make it. He’s glad they did.

“This is a good thing to do,” said Vensteeg, whose job was to weigh the boxes and move them into the sealing area. “It just feels good to do a little something for somebody else.”