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Sailors Serve Meals at Homeless Shelter
(September 5, 2010) |
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BALTIMORE, Sept. 2, 2010 – Navy sailors assigned to the
Boston-berthed USS Constitution, have been prepared prepared
and served hot food to people at a local homeless shelter
here Aug. 30 as part of Navy Week activities. |
Sailors assigned to
Boston-berthed USS Constitution demonstrate
boarding pike drills in Baltimore's Inner Harbor
on Aug. 28, 2010, as part of Navy Week. Some of
the Constitution's crew also prepared and served
hot meals to people at a Baltimore homeless
shelter on Aug. 30, 2010. |
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Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Santiago
and Petty Officer 2nd Class Stuart Macgillivray
– who serve aboard the USS Constitution, known
as “Old Ironsides,” were among sailors at the
event held at the “Our Daily Soup Kitchen”
shelter, as part of Baltimore Navy Week
activities that began Aug. 28 and run through
Sept. 6. The USS Constellation, the USS
Constitution's sister ship, is permanently
berthed here.
"I am glad to have had this opportunity,"
Macgillivray said. "This shows that military
branches are not just here to defend the
country, big-picture-wise, but we are here to
help in any way we can.”
The sailors served about 300 guests at the
shelter, of which 15 to 20 percent were
homeless. |
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"It has been great and unusual to have military personnel
here," said Aaron Kennedy, a volunteer coordinator. "Not
many guests here have an idea about what the Navy is. This
brought a new level of understanding to them in a supportive
setting."
Since 2007, Our Daily Soup Kitchen has served an average of
700 meals -- seven days a week and 365 days a year -- to
men, women and children of all ages. Our Daily Soup Kitchen
not only feeds those who are hungry but also provides
shelter and recovery programs leading to employment.
This is the fourth Navy Week that Constitution sailors have
participated in this year. They performed similar outreach
activities during Des Moines Navy Week, April 19 to 24;
Spokane Navy Week, May 10 to 15; and Boston Navy Week, June
30 to July 5.
"Constitution sailors are active in community service
programs, not only when we are participating in Navy Weeks
but year-round in Boston," said Navy Cmdr. Timothy Cooper,
the 71st commander of the Constitution. "I think community
outreach programs provide our sailors with opportunities to
make an immediate positive impact on the lives of people who
have fallen into difficulties."
Baltimore Navy Week is one of 20 Navy Weeks planned across
America in 2010. Navy Weeks are designed to show Americans
the investment they have made in their Navy and to increase
awareness in cities that do not have a significant Navy
presence.
Constitution is located in the Charlestown Navy Yard in
Boston. She is the world's oldest commissioned warship
afloat and welcomes more than 500,000 visitors a year. |
Article and photo by Navy Seaman Shannon S. Heavin
USS Constitution Public Affairs
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010 |
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