We're Here to Help

I sent out an e-newsletter for Toys for Troops this week, reminding everyone that our event is this Sunday. One quick important message can bear repeating here:

HEY! YOU! YOU OUT-OF-TOWNERS! And even you Out-of-Staters! There's still time for you and your family, or your coworkers, to gather up a box to send to a soldier. You can stuff a military flat-rate box to the gills with all of the goodies you can think of, and mail it to a soldier yourself, for just $10.95. Take it from me: shopping for this box is FUN.

It's going to be one of the feel-goodiest things you do over the holidays.

This is one message I work hardest to stress to people I encounter in surrounding in communities, and correspond with from everywhere in the U.S.:

You can do something from wherever you are.

A large percentage of what I do for Toys for Troops is to help YOU help THEM.

One of my favorite "assists" was with an elderly (her words, not mine) woman, Carol. She lives about 50 miles away from me. She asked me to come to her home and box her beanies up. I was overextended at the time, and began walking her through mailing them herself. She resisted: She was scared, she'd do it wrong.

And then, out of the blue, she sent me this message:

I will "just do it." I am 68, 'bout time I grew up, right!!

Reviewing her e-mails still makes me smile: Subject lines read: "Sorry to bother you again." Aw, she never bothered me. And then, one day, I read this, from her:

I printed your email so I can take the paper to the Post Office with me. I have 105 packed in a Weinie-Pak box from Devro-Tee Pak, they are smashed clear to the top. I need to go to the attic tomorrow and cut me a piece of brown, craft paper to cover up the name of the company.

Harold & I weighed the box on our home scales, about 35 pounds. So I will put my to & from label on it for PFC _______ and get them shipped. I, again thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Yeah! They did it! Carol and Harold mailed their boxes. I knew they could do it.

If you'd like to do something for the troops this year, from wherever you are, there's still time for you to do it. Deadlines are closing in on us, but there's still time. And we will help you. Email me: ljstewart@gmail.com

While we help you, there are others out there helping us:

Marie Millard is not sending Christmas cards this year...

And Fightin Mad Mary has something up her sleeve.

Note that they are "Not from around here." They're doing something from "over there."

You're welcome to join them.