Almost There Packing Day 2026

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Almost There: Packing Day 2026

April 29, 2026

Packing day has arrived! On Wednesday, April 29 the 2026 team brought over 10 suitcases to Whitman. Each to be packed to the brim, full of gifts and ways to show our appreciation to our partners for welcoming us into their businesses and communities. Over these past few months we have learned just how important gift giving is as part of Kenyan culture. It holds a deep significance and an appreciation for hospitality as well as respect. Each gift we packed away had been picked with purpose and care to be given to our partners.

Lilly DeWildt, our director of donations, has spent months preparing for packing day, between reaching out to local businesses and tabling inside Whitman. We had everything from mass amounts of school supplies to children’s toys and books for all ages, as well as tons of SU merchandise.

As we kicked off packing day it started with organizing everything. Items were spread out and sorted across the room. They were then divided by each day and who we would be visiting. Finally, they were packed away. Weighing, repacking, and weighing again became the rhythm of the day. Every suitcase and item had to be accounted for.

The process stretched across the morning filled with lots of laughter and smiles as the team worked together. Sometimes it took five times to weigh a suitcase for it to be under 50 lbs. Other times it involved members of the team stepping, kneeling and standing on suitcases just to get them closed. There was lots of cheering when a suitcase was deemed ok to be tagged with yellow ribbon. This yellow ribbon will be a way we can identify all of our suitcases in the airport when we get to Nairobi. By 12 p.m. the team had packed over 10 suitcases, all just under 50 lbs. This was over 500 lbs of gifts!

We are so excited to be able to give our gifts to the partners in Nairobi who are graciously welcoming us. As we prepare to head to Kenya we cannot wait to finally meet the people who we will continue to learn so much from. We leave May 12 and cannot wait!

By Lilly DeWildt and Silke Pion

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