F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Some financially strapped local families may have to make a decision to stick to their budget to buy food and not buy gifts or put themselves in more financial chaos in an attempt to have presents under the tree for their families to have a happy holiday season.
Two local families did not have to make this choice due to a partnership with the 90th Contracting Squadron and Needs Inc. Food Pantry’s Adopt a Family Program in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Dec. 19, 2022.
“We were able to provide local deserving families with a bit of peace and calm this holiday season,” said Sara Cook, 90 CONS agency/organization program coordinator and event organizer. “For these families, knowing that there are people that care for them and want to help them have a very Merry Christmas.”
For the second year in a row, the 90 CONS team rallied together to give two families in need a little bit of the holiday spirit.
“We are called to help those in need or those who have fallen on hard times,” said David Cook, 90 CONS contracting specialist. “Knowing that these families are already struggling, it is a great blessing to know that our unit is helping to bring a Christmas miracle to our local families in need.”
The two families were very interested in sports, sports teams, wood whittling, makeup, Barbie, playing games and watching movies as a family. 90 CONS was able to purchase a variety of items on the families' wish lists, including, games, toys, items for hobbies, nail polish and makeup, socks, boots and cleaning supplies.
As a third generational giver, Senior Airman Kyra Blystone, 90 CONS contracting officer, shared her story of why she loves to give back.
“As a kid, whenever I was in school, we would always have an angel tree or various toy drop bins for kids that needed simple items such as toys, necessities or whatever else they listed that they wished to receive for the holidays,” she said. “My grandparents and parents would always give me a number of angels to grab off of the tree so we could provide whatever the kids requested.”
While bringing the items to Needs Inc, Blystone shares one more story.
“When I was little, we didn't have a lot that we could get due to our own financial issues, but I always saw the great joy in sharing what we could with these kids during a magical time of the year,” she said. “No one chooses to end up where they do, sometimes life happens and struggles do occur. Thinking of these kids smiling makes my year because I know I helped out in a way that not everyone out there in the world does.”
(Editor’s Note: Needs Inc's primary mission is serving as a local food pantry. Needs has several types of food distribution programs based around a family’s financial need to ensure everyone leaves with some form of support. During the holidays, they provide holiday meal boxes and run an Adopt a Family Program. If you want to help out, feel free to reach them at 307-632-4132. Acknowledgment of a non-federal entity in this story does not confer or imply endorsement of the Department of Defense.)