Drive for the Deployed returns to Bluefield

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) - An assembly line of volunteers worked to send care packages to active-duty service members Sunday, at Bluefield, W.Va.’s Immanuel Lutheran Church.

The packages included food, treats and a handwritten note among other items donated by Grant’s Supermarket.

“We use the funds that the customers donate and we buy the food,” said Pam Carter, Marketing Manager for Grant’s. “This year we get to send them chocolate. It’s that right time of year so it won’t melt.”

The packing of boxes came in Immanuel Lutheran’s basement, where volunteers like Elise Bowling hand-packed every item.

“We have such a high concentration of veterans in this community, which I think shows how patriotic our communities are, and we just love to pay it forward,” said Bowling.

The donation drive was originally put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after sending countless gifts in previous years.

“We’ve been around since 2016 doing this, however we have not been able to hold a big community event like this in a couple years because of the pandemic,” said Bowling. “So this is kind of our comeback event.”

If you’d like to help sign up an active-duty service member, you can find more information on Drive for the Deployed’s Facebook page.