Neighbors Helping Neighbors

The following article appears in the Spring/Summer 2021 inGaithersburg magazine on page 8. The magazine appears online and print copies are distributed to residents throughout the City of Gaithersburg.

Civil Air Patrol https://uppermontgomery.cap.gov/

Late last spring, the Upper Montgomery Composite Squadron, a unit in Maryland Wing’s Civil Air Patrol (CAP), began assisting the City of Gaithersburg with the distribution of prepared meals and fresh foods for senior citizens in Gaithersburg.

Currently, we are assisting at the Gaithersburg CARES Hub. The squadron has provided more than 400 hours of assistance to Gaithersburg residents. Every Wednesday, CAP members have volunteered their time packing fresh fruit and non-perishable food, helping with the delivery of frozen meals, and delivering food to some of the most needed areas of the City.

Volunteer Service is one of CAP’s Core Values. This speaks of “voluntarily giving of oneself, over personal desires, to provide for the welfare of others.” One of our Senior Members said, “The appreciation of those I have served has brought me such joy and satisfaction.” The squadron never expected to have hundreds of hours to “practice” this core value of service. These opportunities allowed us to step outside of our own quarantine bubble to both see and serve those in need in our own neighborhoods.