Perk Me Up Coffee

The day was 6 October 2020. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, there was a brisk autumn chill in the air, and the light danced beautifully off the picturesque background of the Alps. Unknown to the soldiers on Del Din, the USO Vicenza volunteers and staff were hard at work secretly concocting a delicious surprise for them that they would tantalize and tease their tastebuds. As the time grew near the USO Vicenza team loaded up in the van and headed out into the morning with their next stop being the Del Din Caserma for the first USO Vicenza Perk-Me-Up coffee event.

The crew arrived on Del Din and quickly set up the serving station in a strategic location. The location was chosen to ensure that the maximum number of soldiers would be offered their choice of the scrumptious refreshments. The sounds of the USO Vicenza’s coffee shop music piqued the soldiers interest and drew them toward the kiosk. When they started to pass by you could see their eyes widen and smiles grow on their faces. They were all tempted with their choice of steaming hot coffee, sweet chocolatey mocha, and an assortment of soft doughy pastries. As soon as the soldiers neared the table, volunteer Christine jumped into action to ensure that the soldiers were quickly served the combination of their choice. The rest of the team took photos to immortalize the moment and chatted with the patrons to get a feel of how their week was progressing and show interest in their wellbeing. The soldiers were delighted with the event and very grateful that the team took the time to greet them, offer some tasty treats, and send them off to work with a smile on their faces and a pep in their step.
Although this was a USO Vicenza event, they were joined by members of the ACS and SHARP organizations who provided some additional swag and valuable information to the soldiers while they enjoyed their impromptu breakfast. This first Perk-Me-Up event was made possible by a generous donation from USAA to the USO Vicenza to help cover the costs of our Del Din events.

• Please note that the recognition of USAA’s sponsorship (or any partner) does not constitute endorsement by the DoD.*