BOSTON (WHDH) - On a grief-filled day, against a backdrop of tribute stones lined with American flags, hundreds of volunteers could be found coming together and giving back on the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston on Sunday.
In memory of the thousands of lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, youth volunteers held a salute to service by carefully packing boxes and bags for American troops overseas.
The Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, Home Base and Project 351, a youth-led service organization, all came together on Sunday for their 14th year, all to fill care packages for military members as well as local Massachusetts veterans, including those experiencing homelessness.
“It’s really basic necessities for a lot of people, like you’ve just got masks, sanitary equipment, said Alex Costa, a volunteer. “We wrote our own letters and I put in there, ‘I hope that it brings you a smile that someone you’ve never met and probably never will, is thinking about you right now.’ Doesn’t even know your own name, but they just want you to know that you mean something.”
“It’s just a very powerful moment to, like see other people here, through different backgrounds and different stories,” said another volunteer, Jasmine Pham.
The event was part of a National Day of Service recognized across the country every year on Sept. 11.
Organizers told 7NEWS that for military members overseas, a handwritten letter and a small token of appreciation can remind them that they are loved and remembered, especially coming from a generation that, for the most part, was not yet born when the Sept. 11 terror attacks occurred.
Elected officials also stopped by to walk through the event, including Gov. Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and U.S. Senator Ed Markey, all passing through the memorials, packing boxes and speaking to the event’s young leaders.
“Hold on to this feeling, of what it means to serve, and to see the impact,” Wu told eventgoers and volunteers.
More information on the service project can be found here.
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