Volunteers with the Fort Jackson Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program help package donated shoes and clothing. The spring clothing drive netted roughly 520 lbs. of donations. (Courtesy photo)

Local charities receive ‘BOSS’ donations

Leader Staff Reports

A local church and homeless shelter received clothing and shoes from the Fort Jackson’s Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers’ program spring clothing drive.

The drive started Feb. 1 and ended May 4.

The drives are held in the spring and fall each year.

“BOSS collects clothes and shoe donations to help support our Columbia churches, shelters, social services and more,” said Sgt. Malinda Crummitt, former BOSS vice president. “For this clothing drive, BOSS collected 520lbs of clothes and shoes.”

She gave a shout out to families and Soldiers who donated and volunteered to make the drive a success.

“Our volunteers helped for a total of 10 hours between both days of collection, sorting, weighing the clothes and delivering,” Crummitt said. “Keep on the lookout for the next clothing drive running from September-November 2023.”

According to the Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation website: “The mission of the BOSS program is to enhance the morale and welfare of single Soldiers, increase retention and sustain combat readiness. BOSS is the collective voice of single Soldiers through the chain of command, which serves as a tool for commanders to gauge the morale of single Soldiers regarding quality of life issues. Additionally, BOSS also sponsors a variety of activities before, during and after deployment to maintain the morale of single Soldiers affected by increased operational tempo and deployment stress.”

The program is used by the command as a tool to help address the concerns and issues single Soldiers face each day. These issues include the prevention of suicide and sexual assault and harassment. One of the pillars of the program is making a difference through volunteering and community service.

Contact your unit BOSS representative for more information.