Cindy’s son has been deployed to the middle east. Cindy reports that most of his platoon headed out last week. They could use encouragement from home ASAP. A couple of them had their bags get lost and some are in pretty rough barracks. The temperature has been getting up to 120, so it’s rough on all of them. We are asking anyone who would like to help them, to bring supplies to church and we can box them up and label them there. We could do more packages later.

Here is a list of suggested items to collect:

Necessities, such as sunblock, socks, underwear, flip-flops, lip balm and powder

Toiletries: razors and refill cartridges, bar soap. deodorant, shampoo, conditioner

First aid: band aids, triple antibiotic, and especially ibuprofen

Snacks, including chips, breakfast bars, salsa, nuts, cookies, beef jerky, non-melting candy and trail mix in packaging that isn’t easily crushed. Drink mixes in single-serving packets are also a good addition.

Homemade foods: The most popular items are cookies and “cake in a jar,” which is a cake baked in a canning jar. Again, the key is sturdy packaging to prevent crushing.

Games, such as playing cards/poker chips, crosswords or puzzle books. Stationery is a must if you want to receive any letters from your service member. Send paper, envelopes, address labels and pens, but skip the stamps. They won’t need them. Photos and notes that show your support and affection. Maybe get a daily tear-off calendar and write an encouraging note on each page.

Please bring items with you to Worship on Sunday 8/6 and plan to stay and help Cindy package up the donations. Thank you for your care and concern for these young souls who are protecting the rights and freedoms of so many they will never know, but who will be forever changed because of their presence.