This Is Going On In Our Town

[hensylee]

How about yours? We must support our men and women while they are so far from home and here is one of the ways you can help. Guess you could check with your local Red Cross to find out about it.

Operation Ziplock

Local residents and businesses are working together to assist and support troops overseas. Local State Farm Insurance offices are just one organization helping to spearhead an effort by the USO of Greater Pensacola Area to make care packages out of ziplock bags to be sent overseas. The effort has been dubbed Operation Ziplock.

Katherine Paris, coordinator for the Okaloosa and Walton area of the USO of Greater Pensacola says the military personnel and their families appreciate knowing they have support from home. Residents are asked to fill a large ziplock bag with items such as toiletries, phone cards, wet-wipes, movies and other non-perishable items, along with a note of gratitude, and mark
your bag male or female.

The effort is unique to our four-county USO area and was based on the shoebox effort last year. Angel Larsen, USO Director in Pensacola says clear plastic bags assist with security and inspections and are more convenient than the shoeboxes. Larsen told WZEP she has already received items from elementary students complete with notes of encouragement. She says the
students seem to have a grasp of the reality of war, often writing a note of encouragement and a charge to, "go get the bad guys". She is copying many of the notes. Larsen says Operation Ziplock is a "wonderful, wonderful" program. She tells us items she sent out on February 28th have already been received and are greatly appreciated. The USO says, "life is not good for our troops eating sand."

Organizers suggest using gallon ziplock bags with travel size items. If you make a bag specifically for a female include notation or perhaps a pink sheet of paper. If the bag is for a man, use blue paper as a notation. Money is also accepted and will be used to purchase items to go into bags or to purchase the needed postage. Checks can be made to the USO of Greater
Pensacola. Larsen says it costs $25 to send a case with twelve bags.

 

[Jean]

Thanks for the heads up, Hensylee. I have been wanting to do something. During the Gulf War, we wrote mountains of letters and in Afghanistan we sent Christmas cards and calling cards. This sounds great. I hope our Red Cross is supporting this. I will definitely join in.

 

[joy]

That sounds great Ann, I'm sure the guys really appreciate it! I'm not sure if they do anything around here, but I know individuals get together and make them up for small groups of men, not sure about the red cross doing them though. I think it sounds neat. Just something to make the seperation easier on the families of the soldiers.

 

[Granbonny]

Redcross

Redcross

I just called my sister who runs the American Redcross in Oconee County, S.C. She said that they just finished their Operation Ziplock Bag..a few more larger counties in South Carolina are finishing up this week..so call your local Redcross. One in each county..She also said their next project will be accepting $20.00 to buy phone cards. Only the Redcross and USO can ship these? They have deals with certain telephone companies... I e-mailed a lady I saw on television from Columbus, Ga. (large Army Base) who will give you a name of a soldier..after screening you..and you can mail your own Ziplock bag..but she suggested writing to him/her first and see what they need. So far, I have not heard back from her. Bet her laptop had a zillion e-mails after she was interviewed on National T.V.I sure would like to know a lonely soldier Can you imagine me writing him Seriously, would like to find a name? Any suggestions? Bonnie

 

[hensylee]

Bonnie, search on internet for Dear Abby or Ann Landers - one or both of them have done that for years and provide you an address to get a name. Think I have seen it on their home page.