by Logan Gruber
operations@thenewsleaders.com
The Army Reserve Center, 110 20th Ave. S.E., St. Joseph, home to the 367th Engineer Battalion, was also home to many toys leading up to the holiday season.
Through a program called Operation Homefront, the Sartell and Waite Park Dollar Tree stores had collected toys for military families in need this holiday season. The families of those attached to the 367th didn’t end up needing as many toys as were donated to them, and so before Christmas came they decided to donate the toys back to those in the local community who might not have a Merry Christmas otherwise.
“The soldiers wanted to give back to the community,” said Gordon Lennox, Family Readiness support assistant for the 367th.
Lennox, an Elk River resident, identified four organizations that would best be able to disperse the toys and contacted them. The organizations are the St. Joseph Police Department, Catholic Charities St. Cloud, Journey Home (women with children in recovery) and Becky’s Troop Care Packages (adopting military families while soldiers are deployed).
Lennox, along with Staff Sgt. Dayana Cagle of St. Cloud and Family Readiness Group volunteer Nichole Cox of Waite Park, worked together originally to collect the toys and, in the end, distribute them to the four organizations.
“We want to thank the community for their support of us,” Lennox said. “We didn’t buy these toys to donate. They were given by the community, and now we are giving what we weren’t able to use back. And there was a lot left. The donations were unbelievable.”
St. Joseph Police Chief Joel Klein brought some of the toys to the manager of St. Joseph’s Manufactured Home Community, Rose Albrecht, who distributed the toys to families in need during a holiday party at La Playette in St. Joseph.
“We’re really grateful the battalion was willing to help out during the holidays,” Klein said. “This is a hard time for a lot of people.”
Lennox said about 70 percent of the toys they donated back went to Catholic Charities St. Cloud, which runs a Toys for Tots program utilized by the greater St. Cloud area.
Homefront
Operation Homefront, which helped the battalion collect the toys in the first place, helps military families overcome many challenges, including short-term financial assistance, housing, school supply drives, toy drives like this one and many more activities.
Learn more about how to help military families by donating or volunteering at www.operationhomefront.net.
367th Battalion
The Reserve is different than the National Guard. The Reserve is federal, while the National Guard is state.
About 146 personnel work at the Reserve Center. The battalion partners with local American Legion posts to support soldiers.
The battalion commander is Lt. Col. Joseph Dermenjian. The headquarters’ company commander is Capt. December Dickerson and the forward support company commander is Capt. John Hasselius.
Family Readiness Group Volunteer Nichole Cox of Waite Park and Family Readiness Support Assistant for the Army Reserve’s 367th Engineer Battalion Gordon Lennox presented Catholic Charities with a toy donation just before Christmas. Pictured (from left to right) are Cox, Lennox and a Catholic Charities representative.
On Dec. 18, Police Chief Joel Klein brought the toy donation to the St. Joseph Manufactured Home Community manager Rose Albrecht, pictured here. The toys went to local families during an event held at La Playette in St. Joseph.
