Sailors from USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) reached out to their namesake city during a visit to Oklahoma City Sept. 20.
The crew met with government officials, corporate executives and participated in various community relations events during this namesake visit.
“Debi Martin, city council chief of staff, did a wonderful job of putting together an itinerary that allowed us to see the whole city in one week,” said Master Chief Electronics Technician Joey Hundley, Chief of the Boat on Oklahoma City.
At the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City crew members helped the food bank put together backpacks for their Food for Kids Backpack Program. The backpacks provide under-privileged or homeless children food to eat on weekends and holidays until they return to school.
“Learning about the food bank and what services it provides was truly inspirational,” said Hundley. “During our three hours, we were able to assist in providing the equivalent of 2,184 meals.”
Crew members also visited the Boys and Girls Club in Oklahoma City, which has more than 2,000 youth that attend annually.
“The Boys and Girls Club visit provided us the opportunity to have some small group time with many of the youth that attend the club that were primarily in their teenage years,” said Hundley. “The opportunity to interact with our youth at this level is extremely important and we provided some positive reinforcement regarding doing well in school and not messing with drugs.”
Oklahoma City is the second U.S. Navy ship to be named after Oklahoma City, Okla., and is currently home ported in Apra Harbor, Guam.
[mappress] Press Release, September 26, 2013; Image: Navy