Care packages ready for troops

Thanks to community volunteers, soldiers serving overseas will receive a care package for Christmas.

The Sweetwater County Eagles Club in Green River was transformed Sunday afternoon into a makeshift assembly line for the purpose of creating and packing care-packages for local soldiers serving overseas.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2321 members, Girl Scouts and community members were busy opening white United States Postal Service priority mail boxes, taping them and putting them in a pile.

Once all of the boxes were opened and taped, the line switched its focus. The volunteers then put all of the boxes on the table and started putting as many care-package items they could into the boxes.

Another station, had volunteers busy taping the full boxes shut and addressing them one by one to a different soldier. While the older children helped the adults open and tape boxes, two young Girl Scouts set to work building a huge pyramid out of all the boxes. This not only kept the boxes out of the way, but made it easier for volunteers to grab them when it was time to fill them up.

VFW Post No. 2321 Commander Earl McDonald, Sr.Vice Commander Jim Shoemaker, trustee Jim Shirey, Chaplain Mike Miller, Jr. Vice Commander Ralph Howell and Quarter Master Don Newey were available to help the volunteers with any questions they might have.

Thousands of care-package items, including soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, ramen noodles, candy bars, suckers, beef jerky, chips, peanuts, raisins and Christmas cards were placed into the more than 200 care packages. Some care packages had more than one Christmas card in them, while others had children's drawings in them.

"I think we have 15 cases of toothpaste," Miller said.

Those who served know all too well how much this care package will mean to the solider who receives it and those he serves with.

"This is good for the troops," Shirey said. "When I was in Vietnam I never got anything. I don't remember anybody else getting anything either."

About 30 residents were busy putting items into the care packages and labeling them. McDonald was happy with this year's turnout. Last year, there was about eight people and it took them more than three hours to make 120 care packages.

"It's nice to have all of this help," McDonald said.

Even after all of the care packages are ready to go, the work is not done. The VFW members still need to mail those care packages, which is expensive. Last year, it cost $1,800 to mail all of them. 

"Hopefully, the shipping rates don't go up," McDonald said.

A recent quilt donation which was raffled off by the VFW should help with those costs. They were able to raise $1,700 for that quilt.

VFW members were busy lining up a time to go to the post office to deliver all of the care packages. Due to some errors, last year it took several hours getting all of the care packages labeled correctly and sent. 

Once the care packages are mailed, the VFW still has more work to do. All of the leftover care-package items are given to local families in distress. He said there are a lot of families in Green River that really can benefit from a box full of nonperishable food items.

After the local needs are met, the VFW takes the rest of the goods to veterans hospitals in Salt Lake City.

"All veterans benefit from this," McDonald said.