Volunteers at the Fort Knox Red Cross fill paper sacks with most of the necessary foods Soldiers and their Families will need to have a proper Thanksgiving meal, minus the turkey or ham.

Barbara Dupree (left), co-lead for Helping Hands, reads off items to be packed in each sack during the packing phase of the Thanksgiving program.

FORT KNOX, Ky. — A small team of volunteers in the American Red Cross at Fort Knox have been hard at work this month filling over 120 paper sacks full of food.

The sacks will go to needy Soldiers and their Families during the Thanksgiving holiday, said Barbara Dupree, co-lead for Helping Hands at the Fort Knox Red Cross.

“We’re like the worker bees,” said Dupree. “We’re in charge of helping the chaplains’ program with a Thanksgiving dinner. We will pack bags of food for Families of 1 to 2 up to 11 over the next two weeks.”

After the bags are prepared, the chaplains arrive with gift certificates that will be added to each bag for a free turkey or ham, which Families can redeem at the Fort Knox Commissary.

The food items must be checked against lists to ensure the volunteers have everything needed to fill the Thanksgiving bags.

“All the food that we are packing has come from our Commissary through donations or purchasing from the Red Cross,” said Dupree. “We get the money from the Warrior Warehouse or cash donations. That’s where the money and the food come from.”

The team of packers start with a list provided by the various units and organizations on post. That list is then divided into groups, depending on how many children are within each Family. Dupree said they only meet from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every other day during each work week to get the job done.

“During that time period, with the other duties we have in the warehouse, we will pack the bags for them,” said Dupree. “We are committed to be done by Nov. 10 for distribution the following week.”

Dupree said she and her son have worked with the food pantry for about a year and love the work they do for Fort Knox.

“This is our second Thanksgiving and it’s nice to be a part of it. The Soldiers and their Families are very appreciative of the food donations, especially with food prices being what they are now,” said Dupree. “You can see the gratitude that’s in everyone’s heart; you can witness it.”