S.A. recruiters, future Sailors give back to community

Instilling the “Whole Sailor Concept” was the mission of Navy Recruiting Stations Hollywood Park and De Zavala during a Delayed Entry Program meeting held at the San Antonio Food Bank June 6.

The meeting began with a muster and re-certifications of more than 60 future Sailors, who were recruited from the both recruiting stations.

As part of the Delayed Entry Program, or DEP, meeting, the future Sailors and their recruiters assisted the food bank by sorting and packaging donated food items.

Chief Petty Officer Isabel Guerrero of San Antonio, assigned to Navy Recruiting District San Antonio, was the event’s coordinator.

“I want my Sailors to emphasize to the future Sailors the importance of community service because the Navy looks at the ‘Whole Sailor Concept,’” Guerrero said. “Not only does conducting community service benefit my recruiters, but also the future Sailors. We want to send quality men and women to the fleet.”

According to Guerrero, it’s not just about doing your job; it’s also about being the face of the Navy.

Joining Guerrero was Cmdr. Jeffrey Reynolds, NRD commanding officer.

“It was great to be here to join the Sailors and future Sailors in giving back to the community,” Reynolds said. “Having a community relations project during a DEP meeting is kind of a non-standard way of interacting with community.”

According to Reynolds, conducting community service is an integral part of naval service, whether it be at a homeport or aboard overseas.

Future Sailor Savanna Vereen of San Antonio was appreciative of the opportunity to volunteer.

“The food bank does a lot for the community and I would love to come back again and volunteer,” said Vereen, who will serve as an operations specialist in America’s Navy. “I would like to thank the food bank for all that it does for the city and allowing us to come and volunteer.

“By joining the Navy, my horizons will be expanded and I will be able to experience many other things,” Vereen added.

At the conclusion of the event, the volunteers received a detailed briefing by Mark Ortiz, the food bank’s volunteer engagement coordinator.

“We could have not accomplished the tasks today without the support of the Sailors and other volunteers,” Ortiz said. “This was a great day as we were able to complete two projects.”

According to Ortiz, the volunteers filled 575 bags of produce and sorted 19,447 pounds of food which will provide 15,558 meals.

“We could not have done this alone,” Ortiz said. “We appreciate your time to come and help those families in need.”