EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Many Airmen join the Air Force right out of high school. Some have families they need to support and income can be tight for the first few years. A simple shirt, or pair of baby shoes can make or break the budget.
There are many organizations which help Airmen and their families through these tight situations; one of them being the Airman’s Attic, which provides gently-used items for free to Airmen.
Items are obtained through donations from many generous Icemen and their families to help support the Airman’s Attic mission.
“All donations received are sorted through to ensure no broken or unusable items get placed on the shelves,” said Bobbie Candaso, lead volunteer of the Eielson Airman’s Attic. “The usable items are organized and categorized within the Airman’s Attic.”
These items include clothing, toys, books, games, shoes, houseware and uniform items; all things that can help Airmen and their families through tough times.
“My favorite part about working here is when an Airman comes in and finds exactly what they’re looking for,” said Candaso. “They’ll come running out and you can hear the excitement in their voice as they share what they’ve found.”
The Eielson Airman’s Attic, while focusing on Airmen first, also donates excess items to help the Fairbanks community.
“We receive 6,000 to 8,000 pounds of donated items from Eielson each month and about 5,000 of that comes from the Airman’s Attic,” said Jade Greene, Fairbanks Resource Agency’s Closet Collection operations supervisor.
Through these donations, the FRA is able to provide job and housing assistance to disabled people of all ages.
The Airman's Attic is located at 2264 East Loop and their hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays for Airmen E-6 and below, and the first Saturday of each month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to all ranks.