Tuscaloosa group develops soldier package project

While the war in Iraq can sometimes seem worlds away, many people want to reach out during the holidays and let the men and women in uniform know Americans at home are supporting their efforts and sacrifices. 
   
But what is the best way to reach these soldiers? If you send a holiday package overseas, then how can you be assured a soldier will receive it?
   
A group of women at First Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, sought the answers to these questions — and learned to appreciate the efforts of soldiers even more than before.The church’s First Ladies missions group decided to organize its project after hearing about the work of Jamie Kaye during a home Bible study group meeting. 
   
Kaye shared with the women that she was part of Operation Support Our Troops (OSOT), a group that has special permission from the Pentagon to send packages to soldiers overseas. The First Ladies missions leaders decided to work with Kaye on a package project.
   
Group leader Gloria Shows made a list of items needed, and she and other group members began collecting everything they could. The items included snacks, individual packets of drink mixes, pop-top cans of fruit and puddings, magazines, books — including those that tell the Christmas story — crossword puzzles, bug spray, small toys and games that soldiers can pass out to children and telephone cards.
   
Kaye said it is important to learn what can and cannot be sent. “You don’t want to send chocolate because it melts, and you don’t want to send canned goods because they weigh too much,” she said. “You try to get the most for your dollar. A good thing I like to do is send Ramen Noodles and packaged chicken. With that, they have a quick meal.”
   
Kaye also said soldiers appreciate personal items. “We have groups that put together special packages at special times of the year. At Christmas, they might make homemade knitted scarves.” 
   
The First Ladies group personalized its packages by enclosing letters from church members. “We put in little letters from children in the children’s department, then some of us wrote little notes,” Shows said. “We wanted anything that would encourage them, that would thank them for their bravery.”
   
The biggest challenge facing groups that send packages to troops is not knowing where their packages will land — especially during the busy Christmas season. OSOT guarantees that the packages will be delivered to soldiers. According to Kaye, many items from groups and businesses that end up in warehouses are often there for safety reasons. 
   
Shows said the project was “one of the most rewarding” she’d ever worked on. “It caught us up in the support of the troops,” Shows said. “We know it has to be so hard being away from home. We just want the soldiers to know how much we appreciate them.” For more information, visit www.osot.org.