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Camp Atterbury Hosts Toy and Food Drive

By Sgt. Will Hill, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs

To help support the local community, the leadership at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center is hosting a toy and food drive so citizens can provide for their families in time for the holidays.

The goal is to collect 2,000 pounds of food and 1,000 toys which will be given out to the local community.

Command Sgt. Maj. Rodney Spade, the post command sergeant major, said he would like every Soldier to contribute by donating non-perishable food items and toys with a price range of $5 to $15.

"I am asking every Soldier to purchase extra food and toys when they shop and bring it in, because we are doing this as an installation, as a collective body, and if we do things as a collective body then we could help more people rather than a few individuals," said Spade.

To help raise money for the Camp Atterbury Toy and Food Drive, Camp Atterbury's Command Sgt. Maj. Rodney Spade sits in the hot seat as a Soldier throws a softball at the target of the dunk tank during the Camp Atterbury Fall Festival. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Will Hill)

Spade said while the installation is collecting both food and toys, food is the critical issue. He added that with the upcoming holidays, the families that cannot afford food may not be able to buy gifts for their children.

"Could you imagine being a child waking up on Christmas Day and having nothing to open because your family has nothing to give? My heart would break if I was that mother or father," said Spade.

"I believe the Soldiers on this installation are blessed," he said. "We have jobs and we get paid good money for what we do and we should be giving back to our community. There are people out there that are hurting and people out there in need so do the right thing and donate," said Spade.

Sgt. Maj. Jodie Newby puts her non-perishable food items in the collection container for Camp Atterbury's toy and food drive. Leaders at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center have said their goal is to collect 2,000 pounds of food and 1,000 toys which will be given out to the local community. (U.S. Army photo by T.D. Jackson)

Maj. Douglas Brown, a chaplain at Camp Atterbury, reminisced about hardships his family faced when he was a child and how hard his parents struggled to support their five children. One morning, Brown said, he walked out onto his front porch and found five bags of groceries sitting there.

"To this day, I still do not know who put those groceries out there, but here it is some 40 years later and I still remember it," said Brown.

"[You can] take the time and effort to make a memory of love for someone too," he said.

Leaders at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center encourage all Camp Atterbury workers to donate to the toy and food drive. The food drive is scheduled to end Nov. 15 and the toy drive is scheduled to end mid-December. The food and toys can be dropped off at Building 1 and Trailer P11. (U.S. Army photo illustration by Sgt. Will Hill)

"We as a nation have deeply entrenched values; love, respect, dignity, self worth and hope. When those kinds of values are upheld over generations such as at Christmas and Thanksgiving they become enforced by emotional connection and association with this time of year. Donating helps to not only continue to uphold such values but they also prove the capability we as humans have in showing each other some of the various forms of love," said Brown.

The food drive is scheduled to end Nov. 15 and will be delivered to local pantries Friday Nov. 20. The toy drive is scheduled to end mid-December. All food and toys can be dropped off at Building 1 Trailer P11.