Posted on 11/24/2004 9:20:57 PM PST by Coop
It's not difficult to send care packages to troops
 Steve Bumbaugh, right, a shipping and receiving employee at Landis Threading Systems and president of IAM Local 2530, hands one of the packages bound for Iraq to Waynesboro postal clerk Bill Dingle. |
By Jennifer Fitch The Record Herald
WAYNESBORO - A few months ago, a group of rural postal carriers and post office managers from areas south of Harrisburg decided to do something for soldiers serving overseas.
They gathered soldiers' names from friends and the community and filled between 40 and 60 boxes with such items as hard candy, bug spray, handmade soap, used books, gum, lip balm and sunscreen.
"We got letters back from some of them saying how much they appreciated the simple things we sent them," Fayetteville Postmaster Robyn Wells remembers.
In addition to thank-you letters, the postal workers received pictures from disposable cameras they had included in their care packages.
The effort was a community affair. When residents learned about the effort, they donated items, too, and children included letters, Wells said.
During the holidays, a number of other groups have joined the effort to reach out to troops overseas - an effort Wells encourages.
"They really sit around and wait to hear from back home," Wells said.
Getting involved
During the Gulf War, people were able to address letters and packages to "Any Service Member."
But as a result of beefed-up security following Sept. 11, 2001, and the anthrax scares, that's no longer an option; a specific name and address is required to mail items.
The U.S. Postal Service has specific guidelines for overseas and military holiday mail.
In general, letters and cards mailed first class must be sent by Saturday, Dec. 11. The deadline for parcel post packages has passed, but they can be airlifted if sent by Thursday, Dec. 4, on a space-available basis if they weigh less than 30 pounds.
When addressing a letter or package to a service member, use the full name (with or without rank), the military organization or unit, and the military post office address. The USPS advised people not to include the country name in any part of the address.
The USPS Military Postal Service Agency (1-800-810-6098) provides guidance on mail and a list of prohibited items, which includes currency, tobacco, coffee, meat, alcohol and horror comics.
Parcels cannot exceed 66 pounds and must be able to fit in a mail sack, which means they must be smaller than 108 inches in combined length and girth.
Waynesboro Postmaster Frank Wells said baked goods and snacks are the most frequently mailed items.
Need a name?
If someone wants to send items to a service member and doesn't have a specific address, there are ways to do it.
A host of businesses have initiatives to send packages overseas. Workers at Frick Co. and Landis Threading Co., both in Waynesboro, send boxes regularly.
On Friday, members of the International Association of Machinists Local 2530 at Landis Threading sent out more than 15 boxes to soldiers. Each was filled with toothpaste, toothbrushes, sheets, soap and other personal hygiene items.
About 100 employees at Landis Threading - in the shop and in the office - participated in the endeavor.
Frick Co. workers started sending packages to the troops in June 2003, and has a committee that oversees the shipments. About 10 volunteers meet weekly to prepare shipments for 11 soldiers on their list. They always ask soldiers for names of other service members that don't regularly receive mail.
Each soldier receives a box about every other week. Recently, Frick workers sent each of the 11 soldiers a Christmas box.
"We had a little bit of everything," Executive Assistant Sue Palmer said.
Elementary school students from the Greencastle-Antrim School District gathered items for Frick's Christmas shipment, donating combs, canned food, candy and snacks.
Frick workers even sent one unit an inflatable Christmas tree with inflatable ornaments.
"The feedback we've been getting back from the soldiers is very positive. We appreciate all the donations, and we know they do, too," Palmer said.
She said members of the community are welcome to drop off donations in Frick Co.'s front lobby off CV Avenue.
The United Service Organizations developed a care package program with the Department of Defense to replace the "To Any Service Member" option.
For security reasons, Operation USO Care Package only accepts financial contributions. A care package costs $25 and always includes a calling card and disposable camera. Other items vary, depending on supplies.
Items for the packages are donated or purchased in bulk from manufacturers. Three or four times a month, the USO has stuffing parties with 30 to 100 volunteers working on an assembly line.
More than 450,000 care packages have been sent since the program became worldwide in 2002.
"We get letters, and they (soldiers) send us photos all the time," said Lisa Frederick, deputy director of communications.
She said Operation USO Care Package tries to accommodate the specific requests from units in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Frederick said although the USO receives a lot of phone calls around the holidays, it's important to remember the troops year-round. She said soldiers are just as happy to receive mail in April as they are in December.
For more information about Operation USO Care Packages, call 1-877-USO-GIVE or log on to USOCares.org. To volunteer for a stuffing party in the Fort Belvoir, Va., warehouse, call Pamela Dickinson at (703) 696-3272.
Another organization recognized by the Department of Defense is Have a Heart/Adopt a Soldier. Director Gladys Walker said there are a number of ways to become involved, including donating supplies, joining the letter-writing campaign, making a financial contribution, purchasing raffle tickets and sponsoring a soldier.
A company in California has requested each of its 1,000 employees to donate $1 every month for a year to Have a Heart/Adopt a Soldier. The money will be used to purchase much requested calling cards.
"Twelve dollars a year. Nobody misses it," said Walker.
Have a Heart/Adopt a Soldier accepts donations of supplies, and Walker will pick them up if someone is located within 50 miles of Malone, N.Y. She works 16 to 18 hours a day, sorting and packaging supplies in her garage.
Judging by soldiers' feedback, the most popular item is a pack of tuna and crackers. She sends 3,000 packs of gum overseas a month. The troops also really like Atomic Fireballs, she said.
When sponsoring a soldier, someone can gather items to be sent to the service member, identified only by his or her first name. A personal letter is typically included, but it cannot reveal the sponsor's full name, mailing address or e-mail address.
"You don't want your information lying on the ground in Iraq," Walker said.
The goal of sponsoring a soldier is to put two souls together who need help in different ways, she said.
Earlier this week, she received an e-mail from a soldier named Peter. He said when he received the first box from Have a Heart/Adopt a Soldier, he thought someone had made a mistake because he hadn't expected mail. Then he said he realized there wasn't a mistake and he had been given things he really needed.
"You really are a fallen angel in the sky," Peter wrote. "Thank you very, very, very, very, very much."
Walker was especially touched by Peter's note and said she was happy when a woman called the next evening, looking to sponsor a service member.
The woman's 5-year-old son saw a news broadcast with soldiers in Iraq and announced he wanted to help them. She was looking to make a long-term commitment to soldier sponsorship and immediately claimed Peter when Walker read his e-mail.
As of Thursday, Nov. 18, Walker said she had sent 300 gifts and needed to wrap and mail 500 more by today. Many of the boxes include chocolate.
The organization also has gathered Christmas cards for the soldiers to send to friends and family. Three thousand cards were donated from across the United States.
"We're sending them Christmas in a land that doesn't have Christmas," said Walker.
It's important to express recognition and thanks to the troops - whether it be through Have a Heart/Adopt a Soldier or any other legitimate organization, Walker said.
"There's a lot of us really out there," she said.
More information about Have a Heart/Adopt a Soldier and other service organizations is available at www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil
The above article provides a few suggestions how you may be able to help. Or there are a few of us floating around here who may have some other ideas for willing people. I'll let them volunteer themselves. :-)
Ping
Ping
last year my 'family' Christmas gift was a $500 donation to Operation AC. I included photos, etc. from their website.
the troops need essentials far more than we need toys. it was the best gift I have ever given or received.
I will be suggesting the same for this year, and will be discussing it with the family tomorrow. I am sure they will agree.
thank you for the post.
btt
My birthday is two days after Christmas, and this year I've asked the family to do something for a charity (hopefully one benefitting our military personnel) in lieu of gifts. I hope to have a similar story as you in just over a month. :-)
FYI
Coop this guy has donated lots of beef jerky to troops over the years. He also donated care packages to me and my team during desert storm era and deserves a little payback for his generosity.........buy from him or send him some money to direct mail it from Ft Lewis WA area....
Owens Meats
502 E 1st Street, Cle Elum, WA 98922
(509) 674-2530
Stay safe !
Thanks for posting this. b.
That sounds like a great way to celebrate the season of giving. :-)
My pleasure. Please remember to give it an occasional bump between now and 4 Dec, as well as ping it to others you feel may find it interesting.
Thanks for the post -- and many thanks to the men and women (and their families) in America's armed forces. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
There are plenty of ways to reach out to our troops detailed in this article.
Thanks again.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, K!
BTTT
ping
For anyone interested in sending a card or care package, FReepmail me. I have a few friends overseas for the war on terror, and I'll give you their addresses.
Our latest threads are linked below
Christmas cards and letters for our Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
Care packages and Thank-you Notes for our Troops in Afghanistan
Christmas for our Troops in Kirkuk
Many of thousands of dollars have gone through these and earlier threads to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and several years ago, to Kosovo where the 101st and 10th Mountain were stationed before they went to Afghanistan for the initial phase of that war.
I am familiar with (and awed by!) your efforts supporting our troops. God bless you and yours for taking such good care of those uniformed folks taking care of our nation! Happy Thanksgiving!
Bump
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