Rotary Club of Dunwoody USO Volunteer Project

On Thursday October 30, 2025 the Rotary Club of Dunwoody held it's first USO Volunteer Day of the 2025-2026 Rotary Year.

The USO outpost at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is an important spot for military service members who are traveling through that airport as they change duty stations, travel home for vacation or leave, or return to base from travels near and afar. Having the opportunity to rest, grab something to eat, engage in conversation with friendly faces, and have a private location to relax, unwind, and wait for the next leg of their journey is critcal for our service members who often have extensive travel and are away from family for extended periods.

The goal of this project is to present a welcome and smling face, a friendly hello, something to eat, and an opportunity to show our gratitude for the service men and women who volunteer to protect our peace and defend the United States. There is no marketing, per se, as the service members are transitioning through the airport based upon their various orders, however, the USO is place where all are welcome, and the overarching goal is to be able to provide friendly service and warm hospitality to all of them.

Club members volunteered to serve our service personnel and family members an “All American” lunch of hot dogs with all the condiments, potato chips, fresh fruit, snack bars, home baked cookies, bottled water AND a portion of Baked Ziti & Mom’s Meatballs from the E. 48th Street Market in Dunwoody! Club members who could not volunteer on sight baked cookies and dropped them off at our local restaurant and Italian shop, the East 48th Street Market in the days leading up to the event.On site volunteers transported the donated goodies, set up the room, welcomed the service members an performed duties varying from greeter to cookie packer to hot dog grill mate as well as server, bag monitor, and "all around volunteer" to handle anything else that needed to be done to serve our military service personnel.

The project came together over a period of several weeks of gathering materials, several days of cookie baking, and, of course, the day of the event!

The Rotary Club of Dunwoody attended, decked out in their Rotary finest, and the event was publicized on our social media networks and, internally, through our club newsletter.