Caring for Our Sailors

Last shipping season, we were posed with challenges never seen before. The COVID-19 outbreak may have slowed us down, but we never stopped running. Through all of this, the sailors on Great Lakes ships persevered, continuing their jobs to keep our North American economy moving forward. It is with great gratitude towards these hard-working men and women that I announce the 2021 SN Caring for our Sailors program. With the project being a huge success last year and an ongoing pandemic, we have decided to run the project once more during our senior year of high school. The goal of this program is to send care packages to the sailors on Great Lakes ships to provide extra support for this challenging season. Even though it might not be much for the sailors, we want to show them that they are appreciated for their sacrifices and work. These men and women spend over a month at a time out at sea, with limited interaction with family and friends at home. The crews on the ships are their families on the water, and they work together as a team to overcome these challenges.

Currently, we have gained approval from several shipping operators to send out care packages to their vessels, and we are aiming to provide gifts to almost 800 sailors on over 40 ships. Fleets included in this year’s program include American Steamship Co., Central Marine Logistics, Grand River Navigation, Interlake Steamship Co., Lower Lakes Towing, Port City Marine Services, and VanEnkevort Tug & Barge. We have also partnered up with J.W. Westcott Company of Detroit and Soo Marine Supply of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, for delivery of the packages to the ships.

We have concluded with donations for 2021.

Thank you for your help!

The Detroit Shipment has been delivered – 12/1/2021