New York Customer Service Centers Team up to Adopt an Army Platoon

Community engagement is important to us at Superior Plus Propane and our family of brands.  Every customer service center is encouraged to be active in the community in which they operate.  Recently, two New York state customer service centers collaborated to adopt a recently deployed Army platoon.

Customer Service Representative Takes Initiative to Adopt a Platoon

Cara Lunkenheimer, Customer Service Representative IV, in Red Creek, NY respects the men and women who serve in the U.S. military.  As the daughter of a retired Army veteran, she has firsthand experience with having family serving overseas. Cara was looking for more ways for her office to engage with the local community, and when she learned of the Adopt-a-Platoon program on the local news, she immediately wanted to be involved.

What is Adopt-a-Platoon?

The Adopt-a-Platoon program allows individuals and groups to support troops deployed overseas by sending cards and care packages to boost morale and make their deployment more enjoyable.  After an individual or group applies to the program and is approved, they are assigned a troop that will deploy within the first year of adoption.

The Finger Lakes, NY and the northern NY customer service centers applied to the program in January.  They were accepted and were permitted to participate in the Adopt-a-Platoon program through the 10th Mountain Division Fort Drum Army base in Watertown, NY. The customer service centers adopted the headquarters platoon of Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade. The 1st Battalion is an attack helicopter unit operating 24 Boeing AH-64D model Apache Helicopters, with Delta responsible for maintenance. The headquarters platoon handles aircraft part distribution and quality control, ensuring airworthiness and safe flight. It consists of the most experienced mechanic sergeants in the Battalion.

Their adopted platoon deployed in May, with 27 men stationed at Erbil Airport, Iraq, and 3 men in a very remote location in Syria. The men in Syria have very few amenities and rely mainly on the locals. Those in Iraq have more modern amenities but still face limitations and low morale. They are expected to return in February-March 2025.

Involvement in Adopt-a-Platoon by New York Offices

The two customer service centers in New York compiled a variety of goods to send to their platoon, including things like cards, protein powders, hydration packets, energy drink mix, caffeine pouches, snacks, batteries, carabiners, canned foods, card games, food seasonings, sauces, and lots of whole bean coffee! They shipped out the first round of care packages in July and are working on another round.

When Cara was asked why she wanted her office and the neighboring northern NY office to participate in the Adopt-a-Platoon program, she replied, “As the daughter of a retired veteran who served and deployed during Desert Shield and Desert Storm and raised in an ARMY household this hit home for me and is near and dear to my heart! My father deployed again after 9/11, based out of Fort Drum, so I know firsthand from the family perspective what it’s like to have loved ones away from home for long periods of time. When I saw this program was looking for new sponsors to participate and adopt more troops, I was committed without any hesitation!”

A Job Well Done!

Superior Plus Propane is proud to have our local offices seek out ways to engage with and volunteer in our communities. Excellent job to the New York offices participating in Adopt-a-Platoon and taking care of our troops while they are stationed overseas!