Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) AmeriCorps members at the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging (CVAA) enlisted the help of both the general public and local seniors for Operation Seniors Supporting Soldiers.  The project collected items to put in care packages for our deployed troops.

Nearly 50 seniors gathered at six different locations throughout the Champlain Valley to sew Cool Ties for deployed soldiers.  These sewing sessions were held at the Vergennes Eagles Club, Charlotte Senior Center, Care Partners in St. Albans, School St. Apartments and Arrowhead Senior Center in Milton, Richmond Terraces, and South Hero Congregational Church.  Several local seniors also opted to make Cool Ties at home.  The goal was to make 200 Cool Ties and the six sewing sites exceeded this number, making just over 250. 

The donation drive also proved successful and thanks to the generosity of the people of Champlain Valley, over 400 pounds of food and personal items were collected to be packed and shipped. 

N2N members and senior volunteers gathered on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Winooski Senior Center to sort the goods and assemble the boxes.  Thirty-one care packages were ready to be shipped by the end of the day and several seniors took home the leftover fabric to finish the rest of the Cool Ties.  Furthermore, thanks to a few late donations, N2N AmeriCorps members anticipate shipping as many as 35 packages to deployed troops.

Volunteers who helped sort and pack on MLK Jr. Day enjoyed snacks courtesy of Shaw’s in South Burlington and Mac’s Market in Essex Junction. 

Neighbor to Neighbor AmeriCorps members at CVAA provide direct service to seniors, recruit volunteers to work with seniors, and present programs for seniors during their 11-month term of service.  CVAA is a private non-profit United Way organization that supprots the efforts of people 60 and older in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle counties to remain active, healthy, financially secure, and in control of their own lives.  For more information on Neighbor to Neighbor AmeriCorps and CVAA, contact the Senior Helpline at 1-800-642-5119