Fort Campbell, KY – The staff of Morale, Welfare and Recreation remain determined to do as much as they can to continue their mission of supporting Fort Campbell’s Army Family during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following COVID-19 Coronavirus protocols of social distancing, MWR facilities were closed to slow the spread of the virus. Through innovation, the staff created ways to engage Families at the Robert F. Sink Memorial Library with craft giveaways and serve patrons their favorites dishes from on-post eateries with a new service called MWR to Go.
Three times since March 19th, MWR staff have hosted Grab-and-Go Brown Paper Bag Craft Giveaway events passing out special bags to Families curbside while following social distancing protocols.
The bags are filled with kid-friendly activities for children in pre-K to second grade.
“We typically host craft times each week, but now with the library closed and people are confined to their homes, this is a way to give Families and kids something to entertain themselves with at home,” said James Moore, supervisory librarian. “We thought this was a way to still have outreach to the community even when people cannot come into our facility.”
Almost 500 bags were distributed April 17th. And Families also received boxes of free popcorn. The crafts are purchased throughout the year by MWR for library giveaways and activities.
“We are super grateful they are doing this and giving us something to do over the weekend,” Denise Hamilton, Army spouse said. “I really like how everyone is coming together and I’m really grateful for the resources of the lunch distribution program and the pick-up crafts that are available for us.”
In addition to providing crafts for Fort Campbell Families, the library staff also hosts a weekly virtual children’s story time, for which a new video is posted to the MWR Facebook page 10:00am Thursdays. The library also has online resources for patrons to enjoy, and several librarians are providing book reviews that print weekly in the Fort Campbell Courier, the on-post newspaper.
To continue serving Soldiers, Families and Department of Defense civilians delicious meals after the on-post eateries were closed, patron favorites were combined into one menu and are now available through MWR to Go at one central location, 5380 Tennessee Avenue.
“We want to ensure Families have a place to order food on post,” said Keri McPeak, business manager of MWR to Go and Hooper Bowling Center. “Many people are getting tired of cooking at home, so this provides them a place to go without leaving post.”
The menu includes selections from the Artillery Grille, Cole Park Eatery, Smokehaus Restaurant, Warrior Zone and Hooper Grille. Orders can be made 8:00am-1:00pm and 4:00pm-9:00pm daily, by calling 270.798.5887 or 270.461.0013. The full menu is available at https://campbell.armymwr.com/promos/mwr-to-go
Emily LaForme, Fort Campbell Courier reporter, contributed to this press release. For more Fort Campbell good news stories, visit www.fortcampbell-courier.com
