VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- Sailors from Navy Cyber Forces (CYBERFOR) and Naval Network Warfare Command (NETWARCOM) volunteered to help two charities make Christmas a little brighter for hundreds of Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Portsmouth, Va., families, Dec. 12.
The group of 10 Sailors joined 150 military and civilian volunteers and Salvation Army staff, helped distribute toys, food, clothing and other gifts donated through the Salvation Army.
Called the Christmas Depot, the week-long charity event combines the Tidewater Area Salvation Army with the Tidewater area Marine Corps' annual Toys for Tots campaign. In all, more than 20,000 children in 8,500 families - more than 39,000 individuals in total - are expected to receive donated presents during the Christmas Depot from Dec. 12-20.
"No matter how big this world seems, we're still all one community," said volunteer Information Systems Technician 1st Class David Hart, originally from San Antonio. "They are still my neighbors."
Christmas Depot was set up in a former retail warehouse, filled wall to wall with thousands of anonymously donated gifts for the deserving families. CYBERFOR and NETWARCOM volunteers helped families pick out toys, distributed 'Angel Tree' boxes filled with clothing for each family member, handed each parent a gift, and helped families load the gifts in their cars.
At the same time, Marines reloaded crates of donated toys to replace those going out the front door.
"We're here to help spread the holiday spirit," said Senior Chief Information Systems Technician Stefan Morrow, whose wife helped him hand out Christmas stockings.
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