MONTEREY, Calif, – Sailors from Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Monterey donated approximately $250.00 worth of food and volunteered at Thomas Carmen Food Pantry in Marina, California, Dec. 29.

The IWTC Monterey Sailors, along with other area volunteers, rolled up their sleeves and prepared 150 food boxes and bags with food staples such as eggs, bread, meat, milk, vegetables, etc. in preparation for a contactless distribution to 140 families.

When the food pantry opened, cars slowly proceeded into the parking lot, circled around and first checked in with food pantry coordinator, Giselle Young, then slowly drove and stopped at orange cones where IWTC Monterey Sailors placed groceries into their vehicle trunk.

“It is a great feeling to help others in need…to give back, “shared Seaman Breanna Cherchio, a participating IWTC Monterey Sailor.

Staffed entirely by volunteers, Thomas Carmen Food Pantry is located at Epiphany Lutheran and Episcopal Church in Marina. In operation for several years now, the pantry typically feeds about 100 families per week, according to Young.

“Since COVID-19, however, we now feed 300 – a 300% increase,” remarked Young.

IWTC Monterey, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), provides a continuum of foreign language training to Navy personnel, which prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

For more on Information Warfare Training Command Monterey, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/IWTCMonterey and http://www.monterey.army.mil/Service_Units/IWTC_Monterey.html, or find them on Facebook.

With four schoolhouse commands, a detachment, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT trains over 22,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.

For more news from the Center for Information Warfare Training domain, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/CIWT, www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.