Veterans gather items for Christmas care

    The local chapter of the American Legion Riders has sent a shipment of care packages to U.S. troops stationed overseas. Richard Young, vice president of the American Legion  Legion Riders of Post 29, said the group has sent the packages for three years now.

    The Legion Riders collect donated items at the ambulance barn in Washington. The riders put the items in boxes and then send them to deployed soldiers. In addition to packing and shipping the boxes, the riders will purchase foodstuffs and non-perishable items on their own.

    ?If there?s not enough stuff, we?ll go out and get things to put in the boxes,? said Young. ?We get addresses for the soldiers, and we send a package to each address we receive. Usually, the soldiers we get are from this area. Some are with the 134th (Iowa Army National Guard Medical Company), while others are in the Marines or the Air Force.?

    The riders say that merchandise such as instant coffee, powdered drink mixes and dry soup mixes are excellent donations. They say the troops like games, poker chips, books, magazines and newspapers.

    ?We send them copies of The Journal so they can see what?s going on here,? said Young. ?We try to keep them in touch with their home. We?ve heard back from some of them through e-mails, and they?re always very thankful.? 

    Toiletry items are also welcome and include foot powder, razors and pocket-sized hand wipes and hand sanitizers.

    ?The troops also like beef jerky and instant cocoa mixes,? said Young. ?We send them socks, too. Some of them are in the mountains in Afghanistan where it?s cold.?

    Young said Cub Scouts have helped with the care packages in the last few years.

For the full story, see the Dec. 14 edition of The Washington Evening Journal