When Wendy Rocca received the request to support 144 men and 41 women in an undisclosed location, she felt an urgent sense of responsibility.
Rocca, an agent with Keller Williams Realty Boston Northwest, has been sending care packages to deployed soldiers for 23 years. Daily necessities like snacks and toiletries mean much more than a simple gift—these practical items represent love and appreciation when service members are far away from home, and that support carries them during their darkest moments, she says.
Because of Rocca’s ceaseless dedication, nearly 250,000 soldiers stationed overseas have received care packages since she founded nonprofit Operation American Soldier in 2003 with her husband, John. It started with a single box Wendy sent to their daughter, Tracy, who was stationed with the Army National Guard in Kuwait. When Tracy mentioned that some of her fellow soldiers never received mail, Wendy asked for their names and started sending them packages. It started with a few boxes at first, which she packed on her dining room table.
Since then, volunteers have met regularly in a space donated by a local Marine veteran organization where they can pack and label packages. The highlight in each box is handwritten: a note from a volunteer reminding soldiers that someone cares, a drawing from a child and a request for the names of others who need support.
Rocca is still struck by the impact a box can make. “After a long day on duty, seeing your name at mail call is uplifting to morale. It’s a reminder that someone back home took the time and thought of you,” says Wendy, who won NAR’s Good Neighbor Award with John in 2010.
Last month, when Rocca posted her request on social media to support a U.S. Navy squadron, the community stepped up with carloads of most-wanted items like protein bars, lip balm and cleaning wipes from the OAS Amazon wish list.
Her grandson, Lincoln, invited friends from his third-grade class to help pack. “The kids were fabulous,” carefully writing encouraging messages on the insides of the boxes. Lincoln is a frequent volunteer and his parents, Kendra and Tony, are both veterans, but some of Lincoln’s friends’ families were just learning about Operation American Soldier. Some of the parents were so touched by the kids’ enthusiasm that they were in tears, Rocca recalls.
“We want our newly deployed troops in the Epic Fury area to know that we understand the stress and challenges that come with a deployment like this,” she says. “We’re here as their cheerleaders and supporters, and every personal note we send is a reminder that they are not forgotten.”
Rocca laments that many nonprofits like hers have shut down because of increasingly onerous paperwork requirements and the enormous cost of shipping packages to bases overseas. But she won’t give up.
“It’s a labor of love. They’re over there fighting for us and keeping us safe. We can’t stop. We have to keep going,” she says.
Follow @RealtorsAreGoodNeighbors on Facebook and Instagram for more stories about real estate professionals who uplift their communities.