SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Maj. Philip Redmond, 52nd Fighter Wing base chaplain, and other members of the 52nd Fighter Wing teamed up with members from a local community church near Dudeldorf to participate in a base food drive from Nov. 1, 2019-Dec. 5, 2019, at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.
The food drive is an annual event that occurs during the holidays and provides food, clothes, and other items to help impoverished families in West Poland.
“A goal we set this year for this event is to collect as much stuff as we can to contribute and let those people know we care,” said Redmond. “We want to take the focus off what we can get this time of year and put the focus on what we can give.”
The donated items came from hundreds of people on base, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints, and local German community members. They provided donations, physical help, and transportation of the goods.
One big contributor was Maj. Adam Murphy, 52nd Operations Support Squadron survival, evasion, resistance and escape operations section chief. Murphy played a part in every piece of the food drive this year and led the operation to success.
“Each year we have people help out with the food drive and there is always one person who steps up and volunteers to handles the ins and outs of the operation and takes over,” said Redmond. “This year Adam was the person that took this operation into his own hands. He really took the reins and made this year’s event a success.”
The food drive was created 16 years ago by a Trinity Baptist Church member who used his van to transport the collected goods to impoverished families in West Poland. The event has carried on since and grown in size.
“We plan to continue this event for years to come,” said Murphy. “This event changes your perspective on what you have and what you take advantage of on a daily basis, and don’t realize it. To give is so simple, yet so effective, and life changing for both sides.”