#FeatureFriday May Giulitto, SAF

  

Our work with Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) at Fort Knox is remarkable. At the heart of the work is the volunteers who exude kindness and goodwill. Leading these volunteers fearlessly is none other than May Giulitto, our SAF Director. 

Anyone who knows her would probably describe May as relentless, welcoming, and witty. “Wherever the Red Cross was, it was always near and dear to my heart,” said May. May is a retired military dietician, doing 6 years active duty. She met her husband, Colonel Dean Giulitto, while serving. Dean served for 30 years as a family practice doctor. Both of their children are in the military as well.

May would volunteer at Red Cross clinics, hospitals, or blood drives wherever Dean was stationed. They moved to Fort Knox close to his retirement, and that’s where her journey as a director began. “I went to the Red Cross here. I wanted to see what they had… There was really nothing being offered but emergency messages. This job came open and they encouraged me to apply,” said May.

She recognized the need for innovation, stating, “We must make this a place where people will come and gather and volunteer. There’s no program for them to volunteer for, except for casework.” May’s mind was racing with ideas, and she decided to revamp.

Her first idea was Santa’s Workshop. “At Fort Hood, I helped with Santa’s Workshop. That was over 3,000 kids,” May replied. The mission of Santa’s Workshop is to provide toys for military families who are financially insecure during the holiday season. With a little assistance from workshop elves, soldiers and spouses shop our inventory to find items for their children.

The Helping Hands Food Pantry and Lending Closet were inspired by her volunteers. The food pantry is a drive thru stop for groceries and essential items. The lending closet is household appliances and dishes. “My volunteers will tell me there’s a huge need. And I say let’s do it. All of this is because of volunteers,” said May.

Warrior Warehouse was created through conversations with May and another volunteer. It’s a program for active duty E6 and below to shop on the last Thursday of every month. Over the weekend, veterans and retirees have a shopping day. It’s a warehouse full of essentials from clothing, hygiene items, furniture, and baby car seats. “We see a lot of young soldiers that don’t have a lot. They don’t have family that supports them. We’re here to help,” May commented.

The final program initiated offers business attire to retirees. “I had my volunteer come to me. She said we need this program for retirees. We need suits for them to go to job interviews. When I got out of the military, I had no civilian clothes,” said May. In partnership with Heroes Care, May and her volunteers were able to secure 400-500 name brand suits for men and women to wear to job interviews. There’s currently closets full of suits, dresses, shoes, and jewelry to help retirees feel prepared for the next phase of their life.

“Red Cross in a lot of military bases only does casework. I feel like our Red Cross in Kentucky has supported more soldiers that are financially insecure,” said May. “We have all these programs. And each program supports soldiers who are in need. But it also provides our military families a place to give back and volunteer. We also support the other side: veterans and retirees. Not just here on base, but anyone within a 100-mile radius of Fort Knox.”

While she wants all the spotlight on the volunteers for their work, the reality is May is a key reason that SAF in Kentucky thrives. She had a vision of a blossoming Red Cross at Fort Knox, and she’s achieved that and more. #ServicetotheArmedForces #MilitaryFamilyAppreciationMonth #VeteransDay