Part of Monroe County is on its way to Iraq and Afghanistan. It's called Operation Touch of Home and the goal is to make the holidays a little brighter for U.S. troops serving overseas.
The big collection push was made over the weekend. Sunday night was the packing, Monday morning was the shipping.
Trucks backed up to the loading dock at the Brodheadsville Post Office Monday morning and box after box was unloaded, more than 600, a record.
Inside the boxes were toiletries, personal care items and snacks for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Chris Green is one of the volunteers. He was in Iraq as a Marine lance corporal five years ago. He remembers how special a package from home can be and how the items inside were shared with fellow Marines.
"They absolutely loved it and their spirits were up and everybody was. You just can't explain the feeling that you get," Green said.
The volunteers know that it's a case of multiplication. Each package for a local soldier or Marine will likely be shared with others in the military, increasing the reach of Operation Touch of Home.
At a time when the economy is down, and many organizations have seen donations drop, the opposite is tre here. This is the fifth and the biggest year so far.
At a time when other organizations struggle, Operation Touch of Home set a record.
"The community seems to want them to know that we're thinking about them and they're in our thoughts and our prayers," said Dean Green of Operation Touch of Home.
Some even gave cash to help with the shipping.
Not only is this the biggest year for donations, organizers said it's a record year for volunteers. Two hundred people showed up over the weekend and again Monday morning to help.
Bonnie Drinkwater of Jonas is one of those volunteers and the Operation Touch of Home treasurer. Her son served in Afghanistan. Her husband was in Iraq. She knows first hand how important a gift can be in the war zone and here at home.
"We watched those boxes being added up and loaded on trucks, you just sit back and say, wow, I'm glad I did that," Drinkwater said.
Of course, the volunteers said they are happy to be involved with Operation Touch of Home, but they also look forward to the day when the wars are over and their work is no longer needed.
The big collection push was made over the weekend. Sunday night was the packing, Monday morning was the shipping.
Trucks backed up to the loading dock at the Brodheadsville Post Office Monday morning and box after box was unloaded, more than 600, a record.
Inside the boxes were toiletries, personal care items and snacks for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Chris Green is one of the volunteers. He was in Iraq as a Marine lance corporal five years ago. He remembers how special a package from home can be and how the items inside were shared with fellow Marines.
"They absolutely loved it and their spirits were up and everybody was. You just can't explain the feeling that you get," Green said.
The volunteers know that it's a case of multiplication. Each package for a local soldier or Marine will likely be shared with others in the military, increasing the reach of Operation Touch of Home.
At a time when the economy is down, and many organizations have seen donations drop, the opposite is tre here. This is the fifth and the biggest year so far.
At a time when other organizations struggle, Operation Touch of Home set a record.
"The community seems to want them to know that we're thinking about them and they're in our thoughts and our prayers," said Dean Green of Operation Touch of Home.
Some even gave cash to help with the shipping.
Not only is this the biggest year for donations, organizers said it's a record year for volunteers. Two hundred people showed up over the weekend and again Monday morning to help.
Bonnie Drinkwater of Jonas is one of those volunteers and the Operation Touch of Home treasurer. Her son served in Afghanistan. Her husband was in Iraq. She knows first hand how important a gift can be in the war zone and here at home.
"We watched those boxes being added up and loaded on trucks, you just sit back and say, wow, I'm glad I did that," Drinkwater said.
Of course, the volunteers said they are happy to be involved with Operation Touch of Home, but they also look forward to the day when the wars are over and their work is no longer needed.
