For the troops

Jane Rowe and her son Ken were among seven Fairfield residents who packed boxes Thursday afternoon at the VFW to send to Americans serving in Afghanistan. Jane Rowe?s oldest son, T.J., a retired Marine, told his mother about a friend stationed in an isolated area of Afghanistan. While they have food available, the field troops were running out of personal items like toothpaste, laundry detergent, soap, shampoo and deodorant. More than anything, the troops were requesting baby wipes. After learning of the need, Rowe approached the VFW about holding a donation drive. Almost $2,000 in cash donations was received in addition to countless donations of toiletry items. Fairfield Hy-Vee Food and Drug Store and Dollar General provided a large portion of the donated goods, and Tom Simmons at the post office assisted the effort by providing mailing information. Also helping pack boxes were Jane Dooley, Bernice Ogden, Connie Wells, Margie Mairet and Amber Maudlin. The group mailed approximately 50 boxes to servicemen and women in Afghanistan this morning.