Give 2 The Troops Needs Help

[nanabillie]

http://www.wect.com/global/story.asp?s=10477830
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Posted by Debra Worley - email

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - More than 100,000 members of the U.S. Military are fighting a war overseas, and many don't have important basic necessities.

An organization called Give 2 the Troops has been providing hygiene and other items for troops since 2002, but they need your help.
The North Carolina branch needs money to pay for the cost of postage to send packages to the men and women deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They have already spent $14,000 in postage this year, because it's hard to reach many of the troops in remote areas.
If you would like to help, call Give 2 the Troops NC branch, (252) 321-8227 or for more

[SteveG]

How in the world can we send these wonderful people into harms way expecting them to give their all and the people who sent them there not even supply them the basics.

Thanks for the alert Nana, will be on the phone later. This is ridiculous. $Billions wasted, squandered and just flat out lost and these brave soles were sent there w/o adequate and inferior armour, inadequate care will they get home, no jobs to go to...I better shut-up.
Thanks Nana

[nicky]

If any of you have a Dollar Tree in your area you can purchase items and place them in carts at the store, and the store is sending the items overseas to the troops. Every time I go in there I buy something to send them. They need toothpaste, toothbrushes, hunting socks, stationary, soap, deodarant, just to name a few things. I sent my husband many care packages when he was in Germany and my nephew when he was stationed in Iraq.

[Faith]

I have adopted a soldier. His name is Joey. He is coming home this weekend from Camp Shelby and will head to Iraq next week.

http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/picture.php?albumid=286&pictureid=2669

[texanne]

We have a very active Military Moms group in our area that constantly gathers up things to send the troops. The local paper is good about posting the list of needed things and where to bring them. Youth groups, church groups, etc chip in...but there is always more needed.

[Faith]

They do that here too texanne. I know this young man I am sponsoring. He is 22. I am worried about him because of his age and inexperience. I do not know how they expect him to fight a war at 22.

I have a red shirt on today, we are to wear red every Friday until our troops come home. I bought this one from the rotary club with writing on the back (Red Friday- Until the 155th Come Home). I am going to get a big yellow ribbon and hang on my mailbox.

I pray for all of our troops.

[nanabillie]

Aww Faith, you bring me to tears with the ribbon. We do the red shirt around here, too. When I worked, we loved boxing up things to send to the troops. It's like at Christmas and you help a needy family, you just get a good feeling. We all need to think of paying it forward, too.
I'm going to send the link about needing postage to our local radio talk show and see if they are interested in doing something to help.

[nicky]

Faith, I adopted my husbands whole unit that was stationed with him in Darmstadt, I sent goodies on every holiday. I even went to the local schools and ask the principals if it would be ok to set up a box and get the kids to write letters to them. I mailed over 400 letters to my husband for him to distribute to his guys. They loved it! And the kids loved getting letters back. Since school is out, you could probably get the local churches to let you put a decorated box and ask the congregation and especially the kids to drop their letters in. Sometimes it takes mail a long time to reach the soliders, but its well worth it when they get a bunch that they can read every day!

[Faith]

Thanks for the tips, Nicky. My county is very supportive of our troops. We have drop off places where it be money or goods.

In April, the day we had the rally in town to send off our troops, I think everyone in our county came. It was a huge turnout.

Our Rotary club is in charge of sending packages to our troops. I will send my package to Joey myself.

Our troops leave next week but it will be in July before we get an mailing address. I will have my box full by then and ready to go.

Suggestions on what to send? I've always donated money so this is new to me.

[nanabillie]

Envelopes already addressed. I don't think they have to pay postage. I think I heard that. A couple of pieces of stationary in each one. Not just addressed to you, :girl_haha: but his other family whatever he has. Handheld games and batteries when my cousins husband was there. He loved gameboy with tetris. I liked to send lip balm in tubes, baby wipes, sunscreen, hard candy.

[nanabillie]

They do that here too texanne. I know this young man I am sponsoring. He is 22. I am worried about him because of his age and inexperience. I do not know how they expect him to fight a war at 22.

I have a red shirt on today, we are to wear red every Friday until our troops come home. I bought this one from the rotary club with writing on the back (Red Friday- Until the 155th Come Home). I am going to get a big yellow ribbon and hang on my mailbox.

I pray for all of our troops.

I know 22 is young, but my Dad was 18 when he was MIA during WWll.
He did get away, people ask me that and I explain I wan't born prior to WWll.

[nicky]

Thanks for the tips, Nicky. My county is very supportive of our troops. We have drop off places where it be money or goods.

In April, the day we had the rally in town to send off our troops, I think everyone in our county came. It was a huge turnout.

Our Rotary club is in charge of sending packages to our troops. I will send my package to Joey myself.

Our troops leave next week but it will be in July before we get an mailing address. I will have my box full by then and ready to go.

Suggestions on what to send? I've always donated money so this is new to me.

Faith, the guys I know that went to Iraq were writting home asking for hunting socks because it gets so cold over there and those pocket warmers, they come in an orange pack and aren't but like a dollar. Don't send cookies, or they have to share with everyone at mail call and he might not get one. Hard candy is always good, gum, those soft fleece blankets, toilet paper, baby wipes. My nephew said those were a god send, lotions, sunscreen, chap stick(army issued chap stick will about rip your lips off putting it on). Magazines on fishing, cars, crosswords and newspapers from home help out alot! I'll try to think of some more things my nephew loved getting while in Iraq.

[Roenick]

I'm sorry... having my husband over there for now a second tour, they do have supplies. They are fed, they can purchase hygiene products and are given supplies.
Of course the thoughtful gifts of care packages are wonderful and boost the moral.


Some of the remote FOBS don't have all the luxuries as others with PX type shops but the convoys traveling through can bring them supplies as well.

Our service men are not as hard pressed as the media would like you to think. Conditions are not always great but someone will always have something to share. Things run out of supply while they are away from base or posts but are there.


You can also donate to any local or state FRG fund. The Family Readiness Group is made up of family and friends that volunteer to help our families and service members. Money raised goes to events, families in need and our soldiers over seas.
As the coordinator of my husbands unit, I have the great task of raising money and making sure all of our soldiers will get care packages this year, helping families deal with stress and keeping things running back home.
With the FRG, they will have all the names of their soldiers so everyone can get a care package addressed to them specifically... other organizations send to a general area and they get dispersed to the service people there.

Also, mark if it's for a male or female. The guys don't like getting romance novels and tampons.

[nanabillie]

If they had everything they need, why would "Give 2 The Troops" have been formed? And why would they have spent so much of their own money to ship things?

[Roenick]

My point is also that our soldiers aren't being treated as bad as some make it seem. Of course things could always be better but they aren't fully without things that they need.
I'm saying they have things... they can get what they need. Some want more of the comforts to home, that is why organizations are started to send things over. Hunting socks compared to military issue socks are different.


It's wonderful that people send care packages overseas but some of these organizations putting them together have you thinking that they have nothing over there. In the beginning, things may have been different but it's all grown over there and comfort items are easier to get.

Make sure you go through a reputable organization. American Legions, VFW's, FRG's that have companies over there will be able to send individual packages to insure that they have want they are wanting. Not just a random care package to any soldier where they have to give the gift away to others because they can't use anything in it for themselves.


Don't get me wrong... any organization that is helping is wonderful in their own way. But don't think that our military is being abandoned and left without. Even the ones that are out in remote areas have ways of getting things even if it takes longer to get.

[nanabillie]

Roe, don't get me wrong, please. I'm just asking. I am glad to know they have more than we were hearing. I pray your husband gets home safely.

[Roenick]

Nana... I'm just really frustrated right now and this set me off a little. Some of the spouses in hubby's unit have called the governor of our state and complained about so much and they are still training up to get to Iraq.
I want them to all come home too but making it sound so awful makes it hard for families to deal with when they're already going through so much.


And I look and see 32 tubes of chapstick in my garage that hubby forgot to leave there last year - he left 87 tubes of chapstick, 17 wetwipe packages and 8 or 9 eyedrops for the guys coming in behind him.
A lot of the male soldiers where given packages full of tampons, novels and 'girly' soaps... they gave them out and then didn't have anything from their care packages left.
I just think some of the organizations pull on heartstrings and they lack in the thought process when sending them.



I am trying to get with Colgate to donate some of those waterless toothbrushes. They're small and perfect for when they are out in the field and have limited packing room.
Anything helps and is nice for them to get. I know for the most part they don't mind sharing (all this from my experience with the the troops that hubby went with) but when it's more personalized it's better.

[Faith]

Faith, the guys I know that went to Iraq were writting home asking for hunting socks because it gets so cold over there and those pocket warmers, they come in an orange pack and aren't but like a dollar. Don't send cookies, or they have to share with everyone at mail call and he might not get one. Hard candy is always good, gum, those soft fleece blankets, toilet paper, baby wipes. My nephew said those were a god send, lotions, sunscreen, chap stick(army issued chap stick will about rip your lips off putting it on). Magazines on fishing, cars, crosswords and newspapers from home help out alot! I'll try to think of some more things my nephew loved getting while in Iraq.

Oh thank you, Nicky. I know they said the temps in Iraq is 135ish and they have to tote a 100 lb backpack. I cannot imagine. I will add all of that to my list.

[PatC]

http://www.wect.com/global/story.asp?s=10477830
http://wect.images.worldnow.com/images/10477830_BG1.jpg
Posted by Debra Worley - email

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - More than 100,000 members of the U.S. Military are fighting a war overseas, and many don't have important basic necessities.

An organization called Give 2 the Troops has been providing hygiene and other items for troops since 2002, but they need your help.
The North Carolina branch needs money to pay for the cost of postage to send packages to the men and women deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They have already spent $14,000 in postage this year, because it's hard to reach many of the troops in remote areas.
If you would like to help, call Give 2 the Troops NC branch, (252) 321-8227 or for more

POSTAGE?!? They have to pay postage? I don't know if it's still true, but I was told back in the '80s and 90s that the displaced Vietnamese living in New Orleans east were able to send packages back to their families over their postage free.

There should be a way of getting the products over there with no postage costs at all.

[Roenick]

I know hubby was able to send letter size or small packages (under a certain weight) for free. Large packages do cost them to send.

Sending packages to him does cost. I use the $10.95 flat rate - everything I can cram in the box no matter the weight.

[nanabillie]

Good luck with the waterless toothbrushes.

[Faith]

I just found out today Joey is stationed in Kuwait for now. He is supposed to be moved but they do not tell him until it's time.

[Roenick]

I just found out today Joey is stationed in Kuwait for now. He is supposed to be moved but they do not tell him until it's time.


Hubby just left yesterday for his home for the next 11 to 18 months. He had been in Kuwait.

He bought a phone from an outgoing soldier, so he can call me more often. He'll still need phone cards but he won't have to wait in line for a payphone.

[Faith]

Great news, Roenick. Joey has his laptop to stay in contact. My computer is in the shop so I haven't heard from him in a few days.

I pray your husband and all of our Soldiers stay safe on this long journey away from home. .

Hang in there. :11_2_104:

[nanabillie]

Amen !