Fred Garmeson
The SunBird Lions Club has completed its annual collection for the “Packages from Home” project. We are pleased to report that the SunBird residents pitched in again this year and donated 209 pounds of goods that filled 14 cartons.
The SunBird Lions Club has been participating in this worthy project since 2010. Each year, we provide a “Soldier’s wish list” and a specially-marked collection box at the community center from November 1 to November 30.
For those who are not familiar with this project, the “Packages from Home” organization sends care and comfort packages to deployed military members who are stationed in active duty theaters around the world. The purpose of these packages is to help elevate the soldiers’ morale and remind them that we have not forgotten them, as they serve to protect our country.
This year, we collected over 50 paperback books, many greeting cards, notepads, decks of cards and some assorted games. Socks have always been a much-requested item, and this year we received 170 pairs of socks and 35 sets of underwear for both men and women. Multiple pairs of flip-flops in varied sizes were also among the donations.
The food items collected included several packages of gum, wrapped candy, cans of soup, peanut butter and jelly, crackers, pretzels and assorted other snacks. The bulk of the collection was 88 pounds of assorted toiletry items. This included soap, shampoos, body lotions, hand sanitizers, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Some thoughtful person donated several boxes of tissues, which we know will be appreciated.
A new request this year was for items for our military service dogs. Thank you to those who donated dog treats and cookies, a six-foot lead, some collapsible water bowls, dog shampoo, several grooming brushes and a nail clipper. These dogs work very hard sniffing out IEDs and protecting our military in combat zones. They deserve a boost in morale too.
One of our Lion members recently spoke to a soldier who had been the recipient of one of these care packages while serving overseas. He expressed how much it meant to his unit to receive these gifts. Knowing their appreciation for something as simple as a toothbrush shows us that this is a worthy project. The SunBird Lions would like to thank all those in SunBird who made a donation this year.
If you missed our annual collection and still have items you would like to go to “Packages from Home” organization, you may take them to the local drop off center. The Post Net Store is located at 1909 E. Ray Road, Suite #9, Chandler, AZ 85225. It is on the southwest corner of Cooper Road and Ray Road. Just mark your package as “Packages from Home.”