Author's Note: The video above is on file from April 7, 2020.
Two middle school students were determined to show their support for members of the U.S. military, and they weren't about to let the pandemic get in the way.
Kristin and Addie were in Sixth Grade in Missouri when their English teacher gave their class an assignment that challenged students to help people.
The "Change the World" assignment led the two girls to do something for service members.
"We knew we wanted to help the military in some way because of all they sacrifice to keep us safe. We decided to raise money to make care packages to send to deployed troops," said Kristen. "My cousin is in the Marines, and I don't get to see him very often, but we were thinking that because they (military members) sacrifice so much for us, it would be really nice to give back to them."
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kristen and Maddie weren't able to use the money they raised to purchase and assemble care packages, themselves, so they turned to an organization that could help them. That organization was Troopster, a group founded by veterans that is based in Norfolk.
"We received this great letter from Kristen and Addie, along with a check for a little more than $1,000 to help support a deployed unit," said Chelsea Mandello, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Troopster. "After reading their letter, I knew that I had to reach out to them. With thousands of troops deployed, and so many service members who were unable to come home during COVID or visit areas off base, morale for those serving was particularly at an all-time low."
Troopster used the money to support 50 deployed sailors on board USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) with care packages. The Carl Vinson is a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier which is homeported in San Diego.
The care packages included snacks such as protein bars, nuts, and dried fruit. They also included coffee.
Author's Note: The video below is on file from Oct. 20, 2021.