Jessica Scarlata, a junior mathematics/education major from
Oceanside, and Charles Lynch, a junior history/education major from
Poughkeepsie, pack care packages for troops.
Some 30 or more Mount Saint Mary College students came to Hudson
Hall on the evening of February 24 to prepare care packages for
troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
With her fiancée Daniel Newell stationed in Afghanistan, and
seven other friends deployed there or in Iraq, Virginia Miller, a
senior English/education major from Highland Falls, has a number of
reasons to be participating in the Care Packages for Troops
Program.
“My friends overseas say it means a lot to get a package from
home,” Miller said. “Sending care packages helps them know we’re
thinking about them.”
Deb Waller-Frederick, the Mount’s director of residence life and
adviser to the MSMC Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which is
sponsoring the program, said the students are grateful to the
soldiers.
“Our students appreciate the sacrifices that these young men and
women – their peers – are making while they are going to college,”
said Waller-Frederick.
Charles Lynch, a junior history/education major from
Poughkeepsie, has had many family members serve in the military.
The students also enclosed notes to the soldiers. “Sending
care packages to the soldiers is a good thing to do,” Lynch
said.
The students included candy, snacks, playing cards and
toiletries in the packages for the troops. This is the third
consecutive year that the students have conducted the Care Packages
for Troops Program. The program’s motto is: “Bringing a little
piece of home to those who are away from home.” The students hope
to mail 120 packages this year; each package costs approximately
$10 to ship.
The Mount’s many student clubs and the college community
contribute to the costs of the program. Businesses and individuals
have also made donations. To make a contribution to the Care
Packages for Troops Program, contact Waller-Frederick at
845-569-3346 or waller@msmc.edu.
Alex Mayer, a freshman history/education major from Wappingers
Falls, and Virginia Miller, a senior English/education major from
Highland Falls, sort items for the care packages for troops.