Deployed Soldiers Share Supplies, Build Community in Kosovo

When soldiers deploy overseas, they often arrive needing extra supplies and leave with more than they can carry home. At Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, one small shelter is solving both problems while creating something special along the way.

The Soldiers' Closet sits just outside the base chapel, offering deployed service members everything from hygiene products to books to craft supplies. Soldiers from previous rotations donate items they can't take home, and volunteers sort through about 25 to 30 care packages each week sent by support organizations across the United States.

Sgt. Marie Pattison, a religious affairs specialist with the Colorado Army National Guard, leads the volunteer effort. She says the closet does more than reduce waste during deployment. It creates a thread connecting service members across time and distance.

"It ties us to previous rotations," Pattison said. "There's that feeling of continuity and leaving something for the next people."

The space has evolved beyond a supply room. Some soldiers browse the donated books or search for clothing that fits. Others stop by simply to talk with the volunteers who keep the shelves organized and the doors open.

The Ripple Effect

The impact reaches beyond Camp Bondsteel's gates. When supplies exceed what soldiers need, KFOR Liaison Monitoring Teams help distribute excess items to local communities in Kosovo, including shelters that need hygiene products.

Volunteers have contributed more than 400 hours keeping the closet running. Letters and drawings from care packages hang on a bulletin board inside, reminding deployed service members that communities back home are thinking of them.

Pattison beams with pride when talking about her volunteer team. "They are some of the best people," she said.

The Soldiers' Closet proves that the best solutions often serve multiple needs at once. It prevents waste, provides essential supplies, supports local communities, and gives volunteers meaningful work during deployment. Most importantly, it reminds service members far from home that they're part of something bigger.

For soldiers who donate, volunteer, or just stop by to chat, the closet has become exactly what communities need most: a place for giving, connection, and looking out for each other.