Support for Troops Draws Major Effort
From PSF Perspective --
When America went to war, Cheryl King knew she had to do something. She and
her sister began a project that resulted in sending approximately 100
packages and 75 or more ditty bags containing simple, everyday items to
the Middle East. In return, she’s getting dozens of “thank you” letters
from appreciative soldiers.
"They love to hear from home," said Cheryl, an employee at the Missouri
processing facility at Milan. "They are glad to have support from
people they do not know." It means a lot to them to know we care and
support them. Some have even mentioned they
 |
|
Sergeant Mark Mason flies the Missouri flag in front of his tent in Iraq. Mark,
the son of Jim Mason, Marketing Coordinator at PSF in north Missouri,
was among the many soldiers to receive a surprise package from home.
|
thought everyone in the US disapproved of what they are doing as media reports seemed to dwell on the anti-war demonstrations."
Cheryl, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and Leah McDonald, her sister from the
Kearney, Mo. area, started the effort by word of mouth. “We mentioned
it to people we knew and worked with and it just grew and grew and
grew,” she said.
"We put out collection boxes at PSF and my sister did likewise at her
workplace. She was interviewed on a Kansas City radio station 3 times
and after a few weeks, she had delivered to Milan six pickup loads of
donated items.”
Ultimately,the effort drew support from around 40 north Missouri and Kansas
City-area businesses, school groups, church groups and other
organizations.
The boxes contained basic items that were unavailable during the early
portion of the war due to the lack of supply vehicles – such things as
hand sanitizer, baby wipes, toothpaste, toothbrush, toilet paper,
razors, dental floss, bars of soap, lip balm with sunscreen, foot
powder and deodorant. They also included some extra niceties such as
snack treats, crackers and powdered drink mixes.
One of the more unusual items was pet flea collars. “They use one on each
end of their cots at night to keep sand fleas out of their beds,” adds
Cheryl. The “ditty bags” measured 9x14 with a drawstring in the top.
“We included some very feminine looking ones that we packed especially
for the gals,” said Cheryl.
The project took its toll on the organizers. “After the first 30 boxes, we
were starting to run out of energy, packing every night and mailing
every morning,” said Cheryl. “But when those letters started coming
back, it made it all worthwhile.” They continue to pack the boxes, now
including such things as the Sunday funny papers.
“Those people deserve our support,” says Cheryl. “They are laying their lives
on the line daily and dealing with extreme heat and blowing sand. They
never know when driving down the road could be their last ride. If we
can brighten their day just a little bit, it’s the very least we can
do.”