COVERING WHIDBEY ISLAND’S NAVAL AIR STATION COMMUNITY
CROSSWIND Whidbey
VOLUME 1, NO. 24 | 09 SEPTEMBER 2011
www.whidbeycrosswind.com
VFW Ladies Auxiliary holds Great Oak Harbor Giveaway Day Larsen says budget
woes shouldn’t affect NAS Whidbey By K ATHY REED
Whidbey Crosswind
Washington Congressman Rick Larsen (D - Arlington) doesn’t have any specific concerns that possible forced cuts in future defense spending would dramatically impact Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. “The Navy has been very clear to me that NAS Whidbey is a major asset in terms of naval air assets and nothing would ever change that,” he said. Larsen’s comment came after a forum Aug. 31 at the American Legion in Oak Harbor. The congressman was in town on the last of a four-stop tour across the second district, talking to veterans about issues ranging from
SEE LARSEN | PAGE 6
THIS EDITION Ladies Auxiliary member and coordinator of the Great Oak Harbor Giveaway Day, Amy Hannold, sorts through a bag of items donated for the giveaway. The biannual event will be held at the VFW Post on Goldie Road on Saturday, Sept. 17. KATHY REED/WHIDBEY CROSSWIND
Take what you need
Shop for ‘new to you’ items at no charge By K ATHY REED
I
Whidbey Crosswind
t’s not every day Oak Harbor residents can shop for free. Well, actually, the opportunity comes around twice a year during the free clothing swap sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The second great Oak Harbor Giveaway Day of the year will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at the VFW Post on Goldie Road in Oak Harbor. Clean, usable items can be
dropped off in advance of the giveaway or on the day of the event; people are then welcome to “shop” for items they need — all at no cost. “If people bring in six items and take home 60, that’s great,” said Amy Hannold, giveaway coordinator and Ladies Auxiliary member. “This event is all about what our community puts into it and our community has been very generous so far.” Clothing of all sizes will be available, from infant to adult and will be organized by gender. Volunteers will take donations at the door the day of the giveaway, and items will immediately be sorted and put out on the floor. People can take as many ‘new to them’ items as they like but no money will change hands. People are invited to shop for items whether they’ve donated or not. The main focus of the event is clothing, but Hannold said
household items are also available. Most importantly, all items should be in good condition. “We want our event to represent the best of what people want to share with others,” she said. “So it should be clean and ready to go.” Hannold said auxiliary members have already taken in a lot of donations. Since the event is in its fourth year and on a predictable schedule, with giveaways in March and September, people in the community have come to anticipate it. And with the steady transition of military personnel in and out of the area, Hannold said they get a lot of items from people who are moving. “I’ve already had people calling, and we’ve started taking donations earlier,” said Hannold. “It seems like we have a
SEE GIVEAWAY | PAGE 5
Navy League back after summer break .......pg. 2 DAV discusses how best to serve fellow vets.....pg. 3 Sarah Smiley: Power outage stirs appreciation.. .pg. 4 Jam sessions foster sweet harmony.................pg. 7
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