Navy Medicine Education and Training Command (NMETC) Sailors visited a donation center for a women's shelter in San Antonio and provided much needed supplies as part of the command's community outreach efforts on the "Give Local America Day," May 5.

Give Local America Day is a national observance to encourage communities to support local nonprofit organizations and give back within their neighborhoods.

The donations included clothing and toiletries, were collected during April as part of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM), and were brought to Family Violence Prevention Services' (FVPS) donation center.

"We wanted to do something as a command, so I figured this is something we can do as a small flag headquarters command," said Lt. j.g. Jennifer Soland, NMETC staff education and training assistant liaison, who organized the collection and donation. "I used to work for shelters as a civilian, so I looked for a local one. People had positive things to say about this one, and they needed help."

Five NMETC staff met with the employees at the center to hand over the donations and discuss future needs and opportunities to help more. Those running the donation center talked about their duties and how they are currently in a renovation stage, needing all the help they can get.

"We gather all the goods for women at the shelter including clothing, canned goods, toiletries and even furniture and larger items," said Mary Sandoval, the FVPS donation center supervisor.

Sandoval said the shelter provides a place to stay for battered women for up to 45 days, at which point the women must start work or school. The shelter helps the women find a place to stay or allows them to stay for low rent at an apartment complex owned by FVPS.

"The donation center collects all the things they might need during this time so they can focus on paying rent, utilities and start saving," Sandoval said.

Soland remarked on the outstanding support from such a small command and how most people gave something. She said she plans to continue looking for similar opportunities.

"I hope to continue and do it more than just one month a year so we can show the Navy's presence and support," she said.

NMETC is an Echelon 3 flag headquarters command that manages Navy Medicine's formal education and training programs. NMETC is part of the Navy Medicine team, a global health care network of Navy medical professionals around the world who provide high-quality health care to eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing critical mission support aboard ships, in the air, under the sea and on the battlefield.

For more news from Navy Medicine Education and Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.