North, South Carolina service members swarm to serve with Charlotte Hornets

Published March 15, 2016
By Senior Airman Jonathan Bass
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Arriving to cheers and applause from more than 300 volunteers from Bank of America and Family Dollar, 20th Fighter Wing Airmen spent March 8, with the Charlotte Hornets basketball team and staff packing more than 10,000 deployment care kits.

The group of Airmen traveled to Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina, and spent the day walking amongst giants of basketball past and present, along with service members from all the branches of the military.

“The best part was just to walk among everybody and how social it was between service members, players, coaches, and volunteers,” said Airman 1st Class Sharoon Kashif, 20th Comptroller Squadron accounting technician. “It felt really good to be productive and contribute to the event.”

Each kit was filled with socks, lip balm, razors, sun screen, and other essential amenities, as well as a thank you note from a volunteer.

“The best part (about today) was seeing and being a part of the support for our deployed service members,” said Tech. Sgt. Nicole King, 20th Maintenance Group maintenance scheduling NCO in charge. “Everyone was very appreciate that we were there. It renewed my sense of being in the military.”

Kashif added that while it might seem like they only packed simple things, but the value of the items increases because of the necessity.

“I appreciate our military so much and I hope that these care packages will lift their spirits and hopefully the letters are great and hopefully they know how much we appreciate them,” said Cody Zeller, Hornets center and forward.

This was Zeller’s third time participating in the event. He said occasionally he’ll take his freedoms for granted but this experience helps realign his priorities.

Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen worked in four assembly lines with the team and volunteers, packing as many kits as possible.

“Since this wasn’t the first time they’ve held this event they knew what they were doing,” said Kashif. “The assembly lines were down pat. It was definitely a well-oiled machine.”

The time spent with the other 20th FW Airmen was valuable too, said Kashif.

“It was a great networking opportunity for us,” he said. “I didn’t know any of them beforehand, but I definitely feel like I made some friends just from spending the drive up to and down from Charlotte.”

Kashif and King said this was an amazing volunteering opportunity and would do it again in a heartbeat.

The five 20th FW Airmen were chosen by wing leadership based on their adherence to standards, attitude, and job proficiency to attend the event.

Zeller said he wanted all service members to know how much he appreciates them.

“We’re always thinking about them, always praying for them,” said Zeller. “We’re trying not to take our freedom for granted because we know it comes at a cost.”