Around 2,400 senior enlisted sailors will show off their marching and cadence skills today as part of the Navy's ninth annual CPO Pride Day, which will be capped off with a food drive at 17 locations around San Diego County.
The participants -- all Navy Chief Petty Officers or CPOs-in-training within Navy Region Southwest -- are scheduled to begin the day with the marching and cadence competition at 5:30 a.m. at the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum. They are then expected gather at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park to hear the winners of the competition announced, and to eat lunch together.
After lunch, participants will fan out across the area for the food drive, organizers said.
The first CPO Pride Day in San Diego was held in 2004 and was modeled after CPO Pride Day activities held in Chicago by the Naval Station Great Lakes.
Community relations projects, such as today's food drive, have long been part of local festivities. Previous projects tied to the annual event have included litter pickup at Coronado's Silver Strand Beach and the San Diego riverbank, as well as Balboa Park and Mount Soledad, where a veterans' memorial stands.
Locations for today's food drive include:
-- Albertsons stores at Genesee and Balboa avenues, Tierrasanta Boulevard at Santo Road, University and Mississippi avenues, University and Fairmount avenues, 14th and Market streets, and La Jolla Mesa at Turquoise Street;
-- Vons stores at Genesee and Balboa avenues, Clairemont Mesa Boulevard at Santo Road, 2495 Truxton Road in Liberty Station, and 3550 Murphy Canyon Road;
-- Wal-Mart stores at 75 N. Broadway in Chula Vista, 1200 Highland Ave. in National City, 3412 College Ave. in San Diego, 3382 Murphy Canyon Road in San Diego, and 4840 Shawline St. in San Diego;
-- St. Vincent de Paul Village, 1501 Imperial Ave.; and
-- Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive.
Donations will be delivered to the San Diego Food Bank.
