Vet News: New York City Salutes Its Citizens Serving Our Nation

When New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg tapped Air Force Veteran Roger Newman to serve as the city’s first Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, America’s largest city was once again thinking big in the way it salutes those who served. Last month, it identified another meaningful way to deliver on that vision.

Through a new initiative, Supporting Our Troops, the Commissioner’ office is sending care packages to each of the approximately 8,000 New York City residents serving overseas in the United States Armed Forces. Newman told Veterans Advantage that his office brought together nearly 300 volunteers to collect and assemble items for donation as part of NYC Service, the City’s own homegrown program to promote a new era of service and volunteerism in New York City.

“Our volunteers took it so seriously. They really wanted to do something,” Newman told Veterans Advantage, after announcing that its first wave of 2,500 packages was sent into theatre.

“The freedoms we all enjoy, and too often take for granted, are protected by men and women who have volunteered to sacrifice out of love for this country. We owe them our prayers and admiration for defending our lives and our future,” said Mayor Bloomberg, when he announced the program this summer.

“The goal of the Supporting Our Troops program is to bring a little bit of home to the New York City residents bravely serving our country,” added Bloomberg, who also personally stopped by the Commissioner’s office to assemble care packages and support the team.

The package deployment are the first fruits of a partnership with the American Recreational Military Services (A.R.M.S.), a local 501c3 dedicated to special shipments to those who serve and their families.

“We are extremely excited to work with A.R.M.S. on this project to support our troops overseas,” said Commissioner Newman. “By joining City programs with effective non-profits, we can better assist veterans, active duty service people and their family members. This partnership is going to make a difference for those who serve and those who have served our country – they all deserve our support.”

As part of this first wave, the Supporting Our Troops initiative placed collection bins at locations throughout the City (such as police precincts, and fire stations) where New Yorkers and visitors donated items most requested by service men and women, including:

• Consumables: Such as non-perishable food items, coffee and ibuprofen.
• Hygiene: soft toilet paper, tissues, toothpaste, shampoo, razors and bug repellent.
• Entertainment Items: gift cards for music or movies redeemable online, movie DVDs, audio books, puzzles or Sudoku, magazines and newspapers. Even home sport team memorabilia.

The second phase of collections will feature donation boxes at City public schools to encourage students, parents and faculty members to donate requested items and to volunteer in packaging the goods. Donation bins will be placed in select schools when the academic year begins and all care packages will be sent out in time for Thanksgiving.

NYC Service was launched by Mayor Bloomberg in April and fulfills the Mayor’s State of the City pledge that New York City would lead the way in answering President Obama’s nationwide call to service. The program has three core goals: channel the power of volunteers to address the impacts of the current economic downturn, make New York City the easiest city in America in which to serve and ensure every young person in New York City is taught about civic engagement and has an opportunity to serve. Since its inception, NYC Service has formed partnerships with leading non-profits like A.R.M.S. and provided a central location for New Yorkers to find opportunities to give back to their communities.

“It’s a modest gesture of appreciation, but one that could make a difference for someone who decided to sacrifice much of their own freedoms, so we could have ours,” Mayor Bloomberg added.