343rd Recruiting Squadron takes time to give to others Published Dec. 15, 2011 By 1st Lt Anastasia Burgess 343rd Recruiting Squadron support flight commander OMAHA, Neb. -- The season of giving is in the air, and in the spirit of the holidays the members of the 343rd Recruiting Squadron spent their day volunteering at the Open Door Mission here Dec. 7. The local squadron members, headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., donated their normal work day to the Open Door Mission in east Omaha. The mission focuses on helping the homeless, low-income families and people in transition. "It is vitally important for our squadron to give back to the community not only during the holidays, but year round as well," said Lt. Col. Stephen Polomsky, 343rd RCS commander. "It is part of who we are as Airmen. The Offutt community is so supportive of the base and we want to do our part in return." Eleven members of the squadron spent the day sorting through thousands of pounds of donations, restocking shelves in the mission's "grocery store" and unloading donations to restock badly needed supplies for low income families. The squadron members separated apples to hand out to families, searched through crates of donated shoes to find matches, and unloaded and organized 13 pallets of donated goods to supply to the families living in the mission's low-income apartments. "It was great to be able to participate as a group and do something together," said Tech. Sgt. Amanda Limmer, 343rd RCS operations non-commissioned officer. "When you volunteer on your own you don't get the teambuilding aspect that we did here." The Open Door Mission, founded in 1954, has continuously provided help to the nearly 2,000 homeless people in Omaha by supplying shelter for more than 400 men, women and children every night. The mission's many programs include emergency assistance for women and families fleeing domestic violence, stable, long-term housing in a supportive environment for low-income families and monthly food assistance which allows people to supplement their income in order to stay in their own homes. The Open Door Mission strives to change lives through preventative measures, offering General Educational Development completion classes, life skills classes and a stable living situation. Volunteering at Open Door Mission is just one of the many volunteering efforts for the 343rd RCS. The squadron also regularly helps the local senior center by delivering Meals-On-Wheels to local senior citizens, fills bags at the Bellevue Food Pantry and spends lunch hours socializing at the Eastern Nebraska Veterans Home.