In our continuing series on Netroots for the Troops, our effort to pack & send 101 care packeges to the troops, we come to my turn. This was originally going to be about fitness gifts for the troops, but y'all have gone & done something extraordinary. You not only met our goal, you busted right through it. Hurrah for all the Kossacks who made this happen! Y'all rock!!!
So you'd think I'd let you off the hook. I mean, the goal is met, all we need to do now is get the stuff & pack the boxes, right. You don't know me very well, do you? So I'm still going to talk about things we can send to help our troops stay healthy. Also - there is no such thing as too many letters for the troops, so we need way more of those. Please write one, have any kids you know write one - they're bored of summer vacation by now, right? Letter writing is interesting & fun for kids.
Please recommend this diary -- the more attention NFTT diaries get, the more contributions and workers to put the packages together we'll have.
Give till it hurts - you know they do. And if you know anyone who is serving -- please nominate them! We want to send them a package!
WooHoo!!! We did it!
check out jnhobbs's matching offer!
But that's no reason to stop. If we raise more money, we could send more packages or send more luxurious items in the packages we send. Why don't you make a donationand let's do even more good?
Happy dance:
As greenies said, some of the items we're hoping to include in every package are related to staying well hydrated, properly fed and deflecting the pounding the feet take in combat boots with the gel insoles. Also, people in hot, uncomfortable & stressful situations need entertainment to stay healthy, so please either bring recent books, CDs & DVDs or contribute so we can buy some.
When you're living where it is triple-digit heat all day every day, it is important to stay fit. Things like socks, underwear & gel insoles are so much more important in this situation. For us, gel insoles are nice, for a soldier, they're vital. Here is the list that we want to put in every package:
Cotton socks Men's and women's cotton underwear
CDs and DVDs Tampons and sanitary napkins
Foot powder Crossword / puzzle / sudoku books
Q-tips Paperback books
Shampoo Sketchbooks and pencils
Conditioner Paper and envelopes
Tissues Individually packaged sports drink mixes
Body wash Microwave popcorn
Lotion Licorice
Lip balm / Chapstick Gum and mints
Disposable razors Meat jerky
also, according to one commenter, dried fruit is also popular
Notice how many of those are fitness-related? Foot powder, sports drink mix, protein bars, insoles..... Please contribute, and help us make these items available to our brothers and sisters in the armed forces. And then there's mental fitness -- these folks are doing hard work, in very tough conditions, far from home. Entertainment is vital to their mental health. Please either bring some recent DVDs & paperback books, or pitch in so we can buy some.
There are also some extra-nice items that we'd like to put in every package:
A pair of Mechanix™ gloves
A 550-minute long-distance calling card
A pair of boot replacement gel insoles
A micro LED flashlight
Have you recommended this diary yet? Please do so -- more attention for NFTT means more contributions -- what if we could send even more packages?
Other ways you can help - send a letter. The fantabulous jlms qkw wrote a diary spelling it all out for you, just how to write a letter to a total stranger. letter writing diary I know it feels awkward - the letters I wrote certainly did, but in case you haven't seen this comment, please read this: Jonathon Norrell, an Army medic suffering from PTSD recently wrote, "The best part about the letters is, no matter how crummy your day may have been, getting off of patrol, getting your mail and getting back to your quarters, was finding letters from folks telling you they care. After 18 hour patrols that makes a big difference." So, just sit down & jot off a note, it doesn't have to be profound, just so they know that they are on people's minds. And letters from kids are great - wouldn't this be a great project for Vacation Bible School? This is kinda what I'm hoping for:
To donate online, go to this donation page. There you can donate either by using your credit card (under "Don't have a PayPal account?" at the bottom left of the page) or through PayPal if you have an account. Whether you can donate a little or a lot, every donation will make a difference in what we are able to send to the troops. As an additional fundraiser, we'll also have an official limited-edition Netroots For The Troops shirt available at Netroots Nation for a mere $25 suggested donation - with all profits from T-shirt sales going directly toward filling and shipping our troop care packages.
Also, if you know someone who is serving, please recommend a service member. Send his or her name, rank, unit and APO address to katroshp a† bellsouth (that's a dot net domain). Also, we need their shoe size, glove size and their underwear sizes because we're planning to send 101 care packages, but we'd prefer them to go to people that are related to the Netroots first, and we want the items we send to fit.
If you are able, please donate
The whole idea behind Netroots For The Troops is that we all work together, regardless of what community we belong to, to help our soldiers in the field. The progressive/Democratic movement is not just on DailyKos -- so why limit participation to DK? I know that I've been bugging people that I know about this - how about you? Last week, Timroff put up a post of an e-mail that he sent around, and I have already borrowed it and sent it out, and am going to print it out & put it in the fridge in the break room at work.
We're aiming for 101 of each of the items on our list in idea to Austin on July 19, and it's going to take a lot of participation, and a lot of money. But it is something we can all do. You can write a letter, or help put the packages together, or donate or send us some names of service members. All are good ways to help. Will you help us?