Onslow Community Outreach Saturday Blessings

G.L.A.S.S. of Camp Lejeune has been participating in a program run by Onslow Community Outreach called Saturday Blessings. Here's how it works:

The Soup Kitchen that runs along with the Homless Shelter only operates from during the work-week, leaving the residents of the shelter without food throughout the weekends. Saturday Blessings allows individuals, groups and organizations like G.L.A.S.S. Of Camp Lejeune to deliver and serve food to the residents (if you're wondering what happens on Sunday, that particular gap is filled by a local church).

On our initial visit August 3rd, we were told that there wasn't anyone coming that following Saturday, August 10th. It didn't take much discussion to return. While talking to the residents and the shelter manager, Al, we learned that though many people donate food, that most times it isn't healthy... or even edible at times. Al mentioned that he's had to refuse food from donors because it was spoiled or near spoiling. The residents also told us that some donors weren't very kind towards them-some didn't speak to them at all. Even more surprising to them was how young we are. "Usually, you don't see young people coming in without someone older bringing them in", Al mentioned. All things considered, G.L.A.S.S' presence was greatly appreciated.

1st in the Military, 1st in the Navy... 1st in the USMC!

This past Thursday, I walked into the Command Suite of Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune with SPART*A Deputy Communications Director Mark Mazzone and our Community Involvement Coordinator (CIC) Brannon Lawson to seek Command Endorsement. Personally, I'd had meetings before with members of the command seeking support leading up to this meeting and they hadn't ended positively. As we sat down in a small room, we were all ready for battle, prepared for any negative argument there may be... but it wasn't needed. The Executive Officer, CAPT Kurt J. Houser, spoke on his beliefs of equality and expressed his empathy for fellow sailors who had to deal with the hardships of serving under DADT. He gave me time to speak about G.L.A.S.S. and I took the opportunity to talk about why I thought it was needed. The XO agreed and at that point said "Whatever you need, if its within reason, you got it. I don't know exactly how it will happen, but it will happen." At the end of the meeting we had a tentative agreement to recieve Command Endorsement and support from Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune. 11 months later, G.L.A.S.S. Of Camp Lejeune is the 1st Gay-Straight Alliance recognized on a United States Marine Corps Installation. You'd think we'd stop to take a victory lap, but no such thing happened... We went right back to work.
Ibi Iugiter-Always There
HN Peete, R.D.
G.L.A.S.S. of Camp Lejeune
President & Co-Founder