Sailors stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island were treated to a day of activities to provide better
understanding of what their base has to offer them at the Defense Commissary Agency Whidbey Island as part
of Commissary Awareness Month, May 21.
Through a series of interactive activities at the event, dubbed “Go Green,” allowed Sailors who recently joined
the Navy to find out about activities and amenities they have access to that they never realized before. 
“Today we tried to introduce the single Sailors to their commissary benefits and at the same time show them the
‘Go Green,’ save our environment aspects of the commissary,” said Kim Ross, General Manager of Whidbey Island
Commissary. “(The commissary) is one of the biggest benefits the military has; especially now, with today’s economy,
you can really save money by shopping at the commissary.”
The event, hosted by Navy Whidbey Recycle Center, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation, Outdoor Recreation, and the
Commissary, included trivia, a scavenger hunt, and presentations including cooking demonstrations and food samples.
Prizes were awarded for personnel who answered the most trivia questions and for who found each item the quickest in
the scavenger hunt.
The commissary wasn’t the only facet of the day’s events that gleaned interest from the participants.
“Recycling is absolutely important, trash is overwhelming and I understand the damage that we’re doing to ourselves,” said
Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Marc Lopez, of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129. “We need to do everything we can do
to preserve this planet. There’s more to recycling than just glass and plastic; there’s a lot more that we can do to preserve energy.”
More than a dozen Sailors from commands on NAS Whidbey Island participated and no one walked away empty-handed or
without learning some new aspect of their benefits.
“I would tell people to come here to save their money, because every penny adds up,” said Yeoman Seaman Benjamin Roodhouse,
of VAQ-129. “They’re really looking after you and they have a huge variety. I came here thinking it was going to be kind of boring,
but it turned out to be very entertaining. I had a great time with good food and good people.”