Luca + Danni and Full Circle Home wrap gifts for families with loved ones serving overseas

By PAM SCHIFF On Friday, November 18, several Rhode Island dignitaries, including Lieutenant Governor Daniel McKee, Senator Jack Reed, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung and Kasim Yarn, Director of Rhode Island Office of Veteran's Affairs joined Vicki Durfee, founder and executive director of Full Circle Home and Luca Danni owner and CEO, Fred Magnanimi, to wrap gifts headed for service members and their families.

Based out of Rochester, NY Full Circle Home is a national nonprofit that supports military personnel and the “heroes at home” who support them. The organization sends gift and care packages to the loved ones of deployed service people.

Durfee never expected or planned on starting a national non-profit, she was just being a good mom. "My son asked me to send a care package to his girlfriend [now wife] who was deployed overseas," she said.

That was nine years and 18,000 boxes ago. Durfee has since partnered with Lisa Miller, another service mom she met in an airport. Durfee starts wrapping in June. Each box contains 12 gifts, each box is labeled as to which day it is to be opened.

“We have volunteers all over the country helping us. There is a lady in Nebraska who puts all the ribbons and tags together for us. There are volunteers who cut ribbon. It truly takes a village,” Durfee said.

Luca Danni, has created an exclusive Full Circle Home bracelet for this effort.

“Last year, we partnered with Full Circle Home as part of their 12 days of Christmas campaign. They chose one of our stock items [Wax Seal Heart] and we sold them the products at cost and donated gift boxed,” said Magnanimi. “Vicki came into our factory a few weeks ago to discuss doing it again this year, and after hearing her story in person, we were moved to do more. We worked with her to create a custom bracelet using her logo as a design.”

Luca Danni also offered to wrap the bracelets and organized the event at their factory last Friday. “I felt it was a great way to not only support the troops but to give back and help Vicki and her team,” said Magnanimi.

The custom bracelet is the last gift in the package. The company sold them to Full Circle Home at cost. They donated the packaging and a few hundred extra bracelets. In addition to being part of the 12 days of Christmas campaign, the bracelets for sale on the Luca Danni website, 20 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Full Circle Home.

Durfee feels she has a responsibility to the troops to keep up morale. “People will always be deployed. I can't change policy, but can do this. And, shame on me if I don't,” she said.

Yarn said the event and 12 days of Christmas campaign were wonderful ways to get into the holiday spirit. "This gives us a spirit of giving, it's about the holidays, our families that come together as a community," he said.

Allison Carley, the president of Luca Danni, helped to coordinate the local volunteers to help. “It is important to stand united with our service people. They deserve not only our respect, but to know that we are here for them," she said.

While the volunteers were busy putting ribbons and tags on the over 1,000 boxes, the dignitaries all took time to reflect and praise the to organizations for coming together.

Lieutenant Governor McKee said, "Rhode Island has a spirit saying to families we remember you. Thank you to your families for their service. Rhode Island has a spirit saying to families we remember you. Thank you to your families for their service.”

Senator Reed recently returned from three weeks in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“There is nothing more gratifying than being back home and being able to do something nice for our troops. It is incredibly important to our service people that we acknowledge their families’ sacrifices. When they are touched with kindness, it means more to them than if it were something for themselves,” he said.

Mayor Fung, the last to speak, reminded the room how important our troops are.

"They allow us to enjoy our liberties and freedoms everyday. Everyone in this room, volunteering and wrapping is providing a lot of love," he said.

Each box contains a message from Luca Danni: “Love makes the world go round. Your loved one keeps the world going and safe. Keep doing all things from the heart for their heart is with you in the home.”