August 1, 2010
Ideas
For The Troops
CARDS FOR WOUNDED SERVICE MEMBERS
Send a card to wounded soldiers at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. It is the first stop of wounded and injured soldiers when they are evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan. They would LOVE to receive your thoughtful message from home.
Here’s the address:
MTD
Attn: Soldiers' Angels
CMR 402
APO AE 09180
The cost is the same as mailing domestically.
Let's Say Thanks. Send an ecard to a service member.
ADOPT-A-PLATOON: I participate in a great group called Adopt a Platoon. People can adopt or pen pal with soldiers and they are very security conscious (you do not share your soldier's name or address with anyone). I have been doing this for 6 or 7 years with this group. They are always asking if we could take on another soldier because of so many requests! - Paula Krieger, MN
iSERVED Stickers: This nonprofit org has printed stickers - IRQ and AFG - for veterans to put on their cars, to honor the men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Donations of any amount are requested to cover printing and postage costs. If you are a veteran, a sticker (or stickers) will be sent to you for free.
FORE OUR SOLDIERS: Send new or gently-used sporting goods and other items to service members so they can enjoy them. - Scott Lokken
EXPIRED COUPONS CAN HELP TOO
Check out Overseas Coupon Program. You adopt an overseas military base and send coupons there. Even coupons that are 2 months past expiration are accepted. - Rita Smith
FOR WANT OF A NAIL...
The G.I. Woodshop uses donations to buy and send needed items to deployed troops. There are no Home Depots, Lowes or WalMarts in Iraq or Afghanistan.
For troops to do something as simple as hang a picture of their loved ones on the wall, they first have to find a nail, then a hammer - or use their boot to nail it. They also like to build simple racks, cabinets, chairs, tables, etc. Packages of tools mean a lot.
Purchase any major retailer gift card the next time you're at a checkout in most large grocery stores or department stores. They usually display these brand name gift cards next to the cashiers: Home Depot, Lowes, WalMart, True Value or Ace Hardware, but any gift card will help.
Then send the gift card to: GI Woodshop, Inc., PO Box 211398, Dallas, TX 75211. - Jeanne Minnich
ROOT BEER FOR THE TROOPS
For $25 (tax-deductible), you can send a 12-pack shipper of Sprecher Root Beer or any Sprecher gourmet soda to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. This program is being sponsored by Sprecher Brewery and the nonprofit George Washington Stein Club. - Anne Sprecher
CHAPLAINS' CLOSET provides new clothes to wounded service members when they arrive for treatment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Donations of new clothing are needed.
Please send any of the following NEW items:
Three Pack of men's or women's underwear, sizes Small, Medium, Large
Sweat tops or bottoms, S, M, L
Men's or women's athletic shoes, women's sizes 6-9; men's: 9-12
Black duffle bag
PLUS a get-well card (a card alone is also great)
Mail to: LANDSTUHL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
ATTN: MCEUL-CH/Chaplains Office
CMR 402
APO AE 09180
More needed items: Phone calling cards, DVDs, portable DVD players and travel-size toiletries. They would also be happy to receive a financial donation for the Wounded Warriors Fund. Make checks payable to: IMCOM-E CTOF-WW and mail to the above address.
FIRST RESPONSE BACKPACKS FOR THE WOUNDED - Soldiers' Angels has put together a backpack which can be given to wounded soldiers as they arrive at combat support hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan. When the wounded arrive they have only what they were wearing when they were injured, and it is often weeks before their belongings catch up to them. The pack contains hygiene items, a phone card and a blanket. Your donation will send a backpack directly to a wounded hero in urgent need. - Brenda Herman
VACATIONS FOR VETERANS: Peggy and Christopher Carr founded Vacations For Veterans, a nonprofit organization created to provide recently wounded veterans of the United States Armed Forces with a week of free lodgings donated by a vacation homeowner. If you have a home to donate for a week or are otherwise interested, contact the Carrs at info@vacationsforveterans.org.
TREAT MILITARY MOMS TO A SURPRISE: Check out the www.anysoldier.com site and pick out some female soldiers who have children. Then follow up with gifts for them at www.treatanysoldier.com. Judy Halston
Adopt Service Members: check out the Department of Defense web site, OurMilitary.mil. There's a host of organizations, many of them non-profit, grass roots types, that support the troops in many ways. Some that I have dealt with are Operation Air Conditioner, Operation Military Pride, USO, SI Yellow Ribbon and Soldiers Angels. Each organization does something just a little differently from the next, but the end result is the same -- it is a way to support our military, whether active duty, veterans, wounded solders, or military families (or families of fallen soldiers). Some of these organizations have been started by, and are run by, children and teenagers. - Pam Erickson
