PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A Presque Isle service group recently collected two truckloads of school supplies to ensure that children of Aroostook County’s National Guard service members are equipped for the classroom this fall.
Upon their return on Aug. 27, after training in the field for several weeks, soldiers assigned to the 185th Engineering Support Company of the Maine Army National Guard received two truckloads of school supplies collected by the Presque Isle Elks Lodge 1954, who worked with Operation Homefront’s Back to School Brigade. The supplies will be distributed to dependents of the active Maine Army National Guard personnel in Aroostook County.
The school supplies had been donated by customers of the Dollar Tree stores in Caribou and Presque Isle. The Presque Isle Elks made weekly pickups of the donated school supplies, which they sorted and boxed for distribution to the Maine Army National Guard dependents at two separate locations in Aroostook.
Sorting through the mountains of school supplies are, from left, Terry Plummer and Mel Fassold, members of the Presque Isle Elks, Lodge #1954, together with Nancy Russell, a volunteer for the effort. The Elks collected the supplies to be distributed to dependents of the active Maine Army National Guard personnel in Aroostook County.
(Courtesy of Presque Isle Elks Lodge 1954)
Capt. Dustin Cook, commanding officer for the 185th, said, “The soldiers of the 185th are truly appreciative of the generosity of customers of the Dollar Tree stores in Caribou and Presque Isle, as well as the efforts of the Presque Isle Elks, which donation the soldiers recognize as a genuine expression of gratitude and community support for the service of the troops of the 185th.”
“The work of the men and women of the 185th Engineering Support Company is of vital importance, both while we are at peace and during war,” said Reuben Caron, exalted ruler at the Presque Isle lodge.
“The Presque Isle Elks are extremely grateful for the willingness of these soldiers to serve and are thankful for the opportunity to convey that gratitude with the large quantity of school supplies with which the solders’ dependents can start the school year,” Caron said.
Operation Homefront exists in order to provide supportive and emergency services to families of current military personnel. Throughout the year, it administers a number of programs in addition to the Back to School Brigade, such as the holiday toy drive and emergency housing services.
