Exchange Partners with DoDEA to Help Kids Return to School Safely
Mr. Toshiro Sakumoto, an Army & Air Force Exchange Service tractor trailer driver at the Okinawa Distribution center, delivers sanitizing and personal protective equipment to Bob Hope Primary School in Kadena Air Base, Japan, Aug. 12, 2020. (Courtesy photo)
Mr. Toshiro Sakumoto, an Army & Air Force Exchange Service tractor trailer driver at the Okinawa Distribution center, delivers sanitizing and personal protective equipment to Bob Hope Primary School in Kadena Air Base, Japan, Aug. 12, 2020. (Courtesy photo)
With more than 75% of students who attend Department of Defense Education Activity schools across the world returning to in-person instruction, maximizing back-to-school safety has been a team effort.
The Exchange and DoDEA started coordinating in early March for the meal program and the delivery of personal protective equipment in August to students and teachers to protect the health and safety of the families of the Nation’s Warfighters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Exchange goes the extra mile for our military families,” said Hunter Cole, the Exchange’s e-business solutions manager. “We were honored to get that call saying there’s an opportunity to help DoDEA create a safe environment so that both the teachers and the students can have a successful school year. It’s the right thing for our children.”
Through coordination between DoDEA and the DoD’s largest retailer, $1.6 million in personal protective and sanitizing equipment was shipped to 190 schools and seven administrative locations in the Pacific, Europe and continental United States. Equipment included face masks, gloves, floor decals, hand sanitizers, dispensers and more.
“The Exchange’s support allowed schools to open safely and on time,” said Jerry David, DoDEA chief of logistics. “The partnership between DoDEA and the Exchange goes beyond PPE–they’ve become an essential supplier for high-quality, affordable cleaning and sanitizing products that keep our schools safe and healthy for military-connected students.”
Cassandra Kee, a team leader at Army & Air Force Exchange Service Germersheim Distribution Center, prepares shipment of sanitizing and personal protective equipment in Germersheim, Germany, Aug. 14, 2020. (Courtesy photo)
Despite the demand for cleaning wipes and masks, the Exchange accommodated DoDEA schools’ budget and PPE needs by working with 14 suppliers to ensure the fastest shipment possible to some of Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps installations worldwide.
Along with the constant communication and coordination with DoDEA, Cole said the successful delivery of the PPE would not have been possible without the teamwork between the directorates at the Exchange.
“We want to uphold our reputation as an outstanding organization as a team,” Cole said. “Our buyers Eric Hines and Paul Olney worked diligently in coordinating and finding suppliers and product that fit DoDEA’s needs. Jason Rakestraw and the entire logistics team worked very hard to coordinate product from preparation to movement from distribution centers all the way to its final destination. Stacy Adamson in finance did an exceptional job in making sure that everything in the invoice and accountability side is squared away.”
Until the COVID-19 threat subsides, the Exchange is doing its part to ensure the health and safety of servicemembers and their families keep the mission going.
“The Exchange is working with schools to replenish supplies online or through our stores that are conveniently located on the installations,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Osby, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor. “These collaborative efforts within the DoD will help the military commands and the community operate successfully day in and day out.”
