Students at Oldfield Middle School thanked those on military deployment by banding together and collecting items for Operation Ziploc during the month of October.

Mr. Joseph Maiello, a social studies teacher at Oldfield Middle, has been running this drive for over 12 years. He annually encourages students to bring in items that people often take for granted—namely hygiene products and nonperishable foods—to send to soldiers overseas. Math teacher Mrs. Jennifer Garside, in addition to donating enough items to fill nearly three boxes, supplied the names of five deployed individuals to ship the supplies to. Once the boxes are received, the items will be distributed to their fellow members of the armed forces.

Students generously brought in enough items to fill 18 boxes, and many wrote letters to the soldiers to enclose in the packages as well.

One student in particular, a sixth-grader named Dylan, collected items at his father’s weekly CrossFit classes that honor a different veteran, firefighter, or police officer who lost their life in the service. Dylan collected enough items to fill nearly three boxes as well, hoping to show gratitude to as many members of the military as possible.

“It’s so important for us to thank those who trade every-day normality—that we get to enjoy—for the service of keeping our country safe,” said Mr. Maiello. “And if everyone makes an effort in whatever small way they can, it can add up to a big difference.”