Retired Guardsman ships boxes of thanks to troops
Tim and Arlene Lemmon of Hernando tape up the first batch of 300 boxes that will be filled with care packages.Since November 2004, Pope and a team of volunteers have mailed 2,000 care packages to soldiers serving overseas as part of Project Package.
"It's even more than that, really," said Pope, a retired member of the National Guard from Tate County who now works as a civilian contractor counseling guard members.
Pope has been mailing boxes to his son, Sgt. Shelden Pope, and other troops since Operation Iraqi Freedom began.
After constantly being asked by neighbors what they could do to support the troops, Pope suggested that they donate supplies and postage cost for soldiers in his son's unit who weren't receiving any mail.
From there, the idea grew and each Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m., volunteers gather at the Kmart-turned-armory on State Line Road in Southaven to sort donations, address labels, write letters to soldiers and pack boxes.
Pope has received truckloads of donations from businesses, schools, churches and Boy Scout troops. He has also distributed yellow donation jars throughout DeSoto and Tate counties to raise money for the $3,000 a month in postage.
This year, Project Package has adopted the nearly 300 members of the Mississippi National Guard's 1687th Transportation Company, which is training at Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg.
The goal is to send one package to each soldier every month after the unit is deployed. Although efforts have been focused on the 1687th, Pope insisted that Project Package isn't just for guard members.
Read the rest at the Commerical Appeal
"It's even more than that, really," said Pope, a retired member of the National Guard from Tate County who now works as a civilian contractor counseling guard members.
Pope has been mailing boxes to his son, Sgt. Shelden Pope, and other troops since Operation Iraqi Freedom began.
After constantly being asked by neighbors what they could do to support the troops, Pope suggested that they donate supplies and postage cost for soldiers in his son's unit who weren't receiving any mail.
From there, the idea grew and each Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m., volunteers gather at the Kmart-turned-armory on State Line Road in Southaven to sort donations, address labels, write letters to soldiers and pack boxes.
Pope has received truckloads of donations from businesses, schools, churches and Boy Scout troops. He has also distributed yellow donation jars throughout DeSoto and Tate counties to raise money for the $3,000 a month in postage.
This year, Project Package has adopted the nearly 300 members of the Mississippi National Guard's 1687th Transportation Company, which is training at Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg.
The goal is to send one package to each soldier every month after the unit is deployed. Although efforts have been focused on the 1687th, Pope insisted that Project Package isn't just for guard members.
Read the rest at the Commerical Appeal
posted by iraqnam at 10:26 PM
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