Hundreds came out to take part in the Mass. Military Heroes Fund 9/11 Service Project putting together care packages for soldiers during a previous year on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.
Credit: Nicolaus Czarnekci/Metro
For the past four years, a community service event held on the anniversary of 9/11 has helped thousands of soldiers from Massachusetts and this year local homeless veterans will also get a hand.
To mark the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which has been dedicated as a national day of service, the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund will put on its annual community service event on the Greenway where volunteers can help assemble care packages to send to military members.
A thousand care packages consisting of fresh toiletries and new clothing items will be split between soldiers stationed across the world and veterans who are being helped by the New England Center for Homeless Veterans.
“It’salways nice to get new stuff … and these care packages are all new,” said Stephen Cunniff, director of community affairs for the veterans center. Cunniff said the center is assisting a growing number of post 9/11 veterans. “We’re serving homeless people and if it can save them from going to CVS to get a toothbrush or deodorant it’s advantageous to them.”
With fewer Massachusetts soldiers serving overseas, Steve Kerrigan, president of the fund, said the organization decided this year to help another group – homeless veterans.
“We’re lucky fewer and fewer troops from Massachusetts are being deployed overseas and we felt we now had an opportunity to broaden our impact,” said Kerrigan.
Wednesday’s annual community service event will take place between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the Greenway between Milk and State streets.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
