Getting the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan back home is a high priority for many of us at Daily Kos. We have kin or friends there who we want out of harm’s way. We have a general compassion for anyone caught up in armed conflict. We have political, moral or strategic objections to the continued prosecution of one or both those wars. Whatever our reasons for wanting them back home, however, as long as these men and women are deployed, we want them to have the best equipment available and as many of the comforts of home as we can provide. We want to remind them that they are not alone and that their safety and welfare are on our minds and in our hearts every day.
Out of these sentiments came the impetus for the community project, Netroots for the Troops. The concept was simple: Raise money and in-kind donations in order to send care packages to the troops. Last year, $13,000 was raised and 130 packages were sent. This year, the project’s tireless chiefs, two long-time Kossacks, TexDem and donnamarie, upped the goal to $50,000 and 300 packages. As this is published, the goal has almost been reached, with just $2500 or so left to raise. That ought to be something we can achieve in the next few hours, meeting the secondary goal of having the contributions in hand before the opening sessions of Netroots Nation this week. Donate Here.
None of this could have been done without something that the Daily Kos community excels at, self-directed cooperative effort. The visible outcome is what non-participants see. But while that may be impressive – and $50,000 in cash and in-kind is impressive – what’s not visible is the hard work that goes on behind the scenes of every successful organizing project, whether it’s a short-term effort like this or a two-year political campaign.
Why spend all those hours cajoling merchants to offer cost breaks or donate products? Why push all those diarists? As TexDem told me:
What we are doing is a small thing in comparison to what these kids are doing. We're doing this to disprove the myth that progressives don't give a damn about the military and those who serve. But most of all, we do it because we care. Plus, it gives many the opportunity to participate and that participation is priceless to them.
The project included the work of 34 diarists. Besides TexDem and donnamarie, they were Amber6541, Asinus Asinum Fricat, Bill in Portland Maine, Blue Jersey Mom, bubbanomics, Chacounne, clammyc, cskendrick, dakinishir, , droogie6655321, Hedwig, Ilona, it really is that important, Its the Supreme Court Stupid, Jasper_Johns, Jeff Lieber, Khloemi, kirbybruno, klnb1019, llbear, ms scarlett leadpipe, noweasels, oke, Peace Corps Mexico, politik, rb137, Rbutters, sarahnity, spedwybabs, Testvet6778, TexDem, timroff, VeloVixen.
In addition, Jlms_qkw is sewing 300 cool ties and gathering letters to be put in the packages. Timroff designed the new logo, recreated the memorial panels and designed the t-shirts. Blue Jersey Mom is in charge of volunteers who will assemble packages in Pittsburgh. Jez and Sarahnity did product research and pricing. Common Sense Mainer and Bill in Portland Maine hunted down the pinch lights. Kirbybruno organized a letter writing campaign in her neighborhood. Yasuragi sent thank-you notes to donors. Politik sent diary reminders and built a diary template that made writing an NFTT diary a much simpler task. rbutters penned the insert that will appear in each care package.
Even if the goal is reached tonight, the project isn’t over. Volunteers are still needed to assemble packages in Pittsburgh. And there’s no reason we can’t raise a few thousand more dollars than the 50 grand originally proposed.
Many people would like to donate something tangible to go inside the packages that will be mailed to the troops. Unfortunately, accepting in-kind donations from individuals is not practical in terms of storage and handling of the items. The Pittsburgh Convention Center is a union shop and stringent rules must be followed. Instead, only corporate donations or cash to purchase items will be accepted for care packages this year.
Here’s how you can still help:
- DONATE HERE to contribute. Your donation will enable us to purchase the things that we are unable to obtain through corporate donations, and will help to pay for shipping them to our troops. Donations are tax deductible, thanks to Netroots Nation and its partner Netroots Arts and Education Initiative, a California 501(c)3 corporation.
- If you know a service member who would like to receive a care package? Email a request to: NFTT.request@gmail.com before July 31, 2009.
Please include all of the following information. We will not be able to process any incomplete requests:
Rank:
Last name:
First name:
APO Address Line 1:
APO Address Line 2:
APO Address Zip:
- Write letters to be included in the packages! Our own jlms qkw is collecting the letters and will print and bring them to Pittsburgh. Just email your letter to her at jlms_qkw@yahoo.com. Look for more information from jlms qkw soon. If you need some ideas, rbutters wrote an excellent diary with tips on how to write letters to troops and why it’s so important to them.
- Help us assemble the packages in Pittsburgh. It's fun! More information will be forthcoming for those of you who are going to be in Pittsburgh and would like to help there.
- Please consider joining the NFTT FaceBook Group. Invite your FaceBook and non-FaceBook friends.
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*The following list contains some of the things we would like to include in the packages. (Please DO NOT send these items yourself! We have no way to accept them. Instead, your cash donation is the very best way to help make this happen on the ground in Pittsburgh.)
- Baby wipes
- Mechanix gloves
- LED flashlights
- Gel shoe insoles
- Goop Cleaning Gel
- Powdered energy drinks
- Gel energy food packets
- DVDs and CDs
- Letters to the soldiers
- More suggestions coming soon
Books for Soldiers
Soldiers love to receive books, but due once again to the logistics of collecting and storing them prior to NN09, books will not be included in the packages that NFTT will put together this year. Other organizations are more specialized in the collection and distribution of books to Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are interested in sending books, please consider checking out the Books for Soldiers Website. It is run by DKos's very own StormBearand is a great resource for giving.
Important Note about Successful Online Donations
PLEASE DONATE HERE
When you make your online donation, the screen indicates that you are donating to Netroots Nation. This is the right screen! Rest assured all donations WILL go to NFTT. If you wish, feel free to use the comment area provided to note that your donation is intended for Netroots For The Troops. It isn’t necessary to do this however, as this is the only fundraising activity being conducted for Netroots Nation at this time. For further information about online donations, please read TexDem's diary on the subject.
Forward to past $50,000!