Happy Holidays to Our Troops

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I attended a packing evening for Jacob’s Light Foundation Tuesday night.  Dorine Kenny is the founder of the foundation.  She lost her son 7 years ago in Iraq.  Before he was killed she would send him care packages.  She continued to send them to other soldiers after he died.  After all these years the whole operation has grown.  Eleven months a year she sends 285 care packages per month and has so far sent over 400,000 pounds  of supplies and goodies to the troops overseas. 

How did I find her?  The residents in a skilled nursing facility I work for wanted to do a fundraiser for our troops overseas.  I had heard of Jacob’s Light a few years ago during a news broadcast and searched her out.  Jacob’s Light is truly a grass roots organization run on private donations, fundraisers and some grants.  One grant will expire next year so she does need a funding source to keep this amazing organization going.

From socks to lotion, baby powder, to chapstick, pasta, peanut butter, and more, the volunteers — there must have been over 100 people there to help — pick and pack with love.  Tonight I brought 1,387 letters that had been collected as part of the fundraiser we did at the nursing home.  The letters were heartfelt expressions of thanks from some of our local school children.  A letter will be placed in each box that is shipped.

While there I met a gentleman who raises money to buy phone cards.  It is his goal to put a $5 phone card in each box shipped every month throughout the year, which will require $14,000 in donations.  A $5 phone card gives a soldier 2 hours of talk time to call home.

This was a wonderful event where people who could otherwise do nothing to help our soldiers came together to make our troops feel like they are not forgotten.  We do hear so little of what is going on overseas unless something happens to one of our men or women — our sons and daughters. 

It was amazing to be part of an organization that remembers our people — and, whether our soldiers are stationed here or oversees, to recognize the freedoms they help protect and allow us to enjoy.

It was noted that support for our troops shouldn’t only come at holiday time.  They need to know we support them year round.

Maybe one day there will be peace.

For more info on Jacob’s Light Foundation:  www.jacobsprogram.org

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