CONGRATULATIONS   “TEAM SUPPORT OUR TROOPS”! - -
 
We had our BEST PACKAGE DRIVE EVER today!  Today we packed and sent 716 fantastic care packages filled with lots of love, prayers, good wishes and many goodies (exactly 1 more box than last year). 
 
BUT since the boxes this year are 50% larger it was as if we did 1068 of the boxes we sent last year (704 big boxes and 12 smaller ones).  So, we actually improved our efforts by 50%  - - WOWZA!!  It is very, very inspiring that we keep gaining strength and momentum with this effort.  I am still counting ALL the money but that looks great too.  We collected about $8,000 in cash donations today - - YIPPIEEEE!!!  Thanks and great job to all the kids who worked so hard collecting $$ for us today (in the cold!)
 
It was such an AWESOME, AWESOME DAY – THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU ALL for making this such a success!   It is truly a collaborative effort and I know the many service men and women who will receive our boxes will be touched to know that so many in this Community care so much. 
 
Pictures (thanks to Kathy Rasor) are already posted from today on our website and as soon as we get any thank you notes we will post those and I will let you know they are there.  Go to www.carepackagedrive.com to take a look - - I will also be posting more pictures and updates this week.
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to YOU and YOUR FAMILIES!
Jennie
 
PS – please forward this to anyone who may not be on our email distribution yet (I haven’t had a chance to add new addresses from today).
 
PPS - I know it’s annoying that our count is a little ‘off’ but we use these new size boxes because it is a special box that the Post Office developed to give a discount for sending packages to APO/FPO (i.e., Military Addresses) and it’s a much bigger box for much less $$ relatively speaking. 

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SAVE THE DATE 

 DECEMBER  7, 2008

 

 

This Pearl Harbor Day Many Will Gather in Larchmont to Support and

Honor our Military By Putting Together Hundreds of Care Packages

Sixth Support Our Troops Drive Hoping to Send over 800 Holiday Care Packages

 

December 1, 2008, Larchmont, NY…December 7, 1941 was the ‘Day that will Live in Infamy’ when the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the United States.  This Sunday, December 7, 2008 from 10am -1pm, over 100 volunteers from Larchmont and many neighboring communities will gather at St. Augustine’s Church in Larchmont, N.Y. to honor our Military Men and Women.  The volunteers will show their support for the U.S. Troops currently deployed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by packing and sending hundreds of care packages to say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and thank you.  The organizers are hoping to send a record 800 boxes this weekend. 

 

Residents are encouraged to donate items ranging from non-perishable food and toiletries to magazines and socks.  A complete list of items needed can be found at www.carepackagedrive.com.  Monetary donations are also appreciated to help defray the shipping costs since each box will cost $10.95.  Please make your check payable to St. Augustine’s Church and send to Support Our Troops, 40 Cherry Avenue, New Rochelle, NY  10801. 

 

This is the sixth Support Our Troops drive which was started by New Rochelle resident Jennie McFarland.  McFarland started the Support Our Troops package drive at St. Augustine’s Church when her husband was serving in Iraq with the United States Marine Corps in 2006.  Thanks to the generous support of the community in the past two and a half years, the group has sent over 2,000 care packages to many grateful service men and women. 

 

“These men and women are in tough spots and are away from family and friends.” says Package Drive organizer Jennie McFarland. “We are hoping for another great effort especially since so many of our Troops are on a third and fourth tour.  It’s important for our Troops to know that we continue to support them and it is just as important for our Military Families at home to see the effort and know that they too are supported as their loved ones are away from home during the holidays.” 

 

Key Volunteer Madelyn Jolliffe, from Cos Cob, Conn. has participated from the beginning with her large extended family (of Larchmont) and continues to enlist many generous friends from New York and Connecticut to help with the effort, commented “It’s the most feel good thing you can do this Holiday season and it’s so important to show our support to these young kids over in harms way.  It seems very fitting that the drive is happening on the anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor since it is a day when we remember our brave Troops from WWII.”    

 

In addition to the Parishioners of St. Augustine’s Church and many, many generous individuals, other local organizations are showing support of the Care Package Drive by pledging to come and help and donate funds and goods to the effort.   Participating groups and sponsors for this upcoming drive include:  
Dr. John Seedor & Family (Larchmont), Niteks, USA, (White Plains), Boy Scout, Girl Scout and Cub Scout Troops from Pelham, New Rochelle, Larchmont & Mamaroneck, Bronx-Westchester South Kiwanis, IGA Supermarket (Kent, Ct), Murray Avenue School (Larchmont), Webster School (New Rochelle), St. John’s Church (Larchmont), Sts. John & Paul Church (Larchmont), Resurrection Church (Rye), Holy Name Church (New Rochelle), Boy Scout, Girl Scout and Cub Scout Troops from Pelham, New Rochelle, Larchmont & Mamaroneck, Kiwanis Club of the Bronx, Knights of Columbus in Pelham, The Members of the Fire Department of New York City, Mount Vernon Post Office, Christ Church Nursery School (Old Greenwich, Ct), Stitch by Stitch Needlepoint Store (Larchmont), The Riverdale School (Manhattan), the Abbott House (New Rochelle), American Legion, Post 50 of Pelham and the Town of Mamaroneck Fire Department.

 

Over the years, many thank you notes received back confirm the good work that the package drive volunteers are doing.  Excerpts of thank you notes from past Care Package recipients are below: 

 

“Good day from Iraq:  I have been the recipient of multiple packages from your organization.  Thank you all.  We appreciate your gifts and remembrances, especially the children and their homemade cards and letters.  I have them on the wall in my office.  They, the children, are what we are serving for – their future!” – John DeMarchi, MAJ SP, APA-C

 

“Thank you so much for all the care packages!!!...It means so much to us to know that people back home are thinking of us over here.  It really lifts our spirits and keeps us going on.  Please give our gratitude to all of those in your community who helped put the packages together.  They were filled with everything we use out here.”  - CPT Timothy Mitroka, United States Army.

 

 

 

 

Please help us ‘Support Our Troops’ this Christmas

 

Care Package Drive at St. Augustine’s Church in Larchmont, NY

Sunday, December 7, 2008

 

We will again be collecting care items and packing boxes to send to our Troops serving in Iraq & Afghanistan on Sunday, December 7^th   in the St. Augustine’s Church Cafeteria (18 Cherry Avenue Larchmont, NY 10538) from 10am – 1pm.   

 

This is our 6^th Care Package Drive and thanks to the generosity of many in our community, we have sent more than 2,000 care packages to grateful soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines over the past three years.  I am hoping we will again be able to send many boxes filled with care items, prayers and good wishes.

 

The many thank you notes we receive are inspiring! See excerpts from the care package drive in March 2008 below and see the full text at www.carepackagedrive.com -  

 

 Good day from Iraq: I have been the recipient of multiple packages from your organization. Thank you all. We appreciate your gifts and remembrances, especially the children and their homemade cards and letters. I have them on my wall in my office. They, the children, are what we are serving for, their future!

 John DeMarchi, MAJ SP,APA-C

 

Please do not hesitate to send us addresses of any family, friends or colleagues you know who are currently serving.  We are happy to send them as many care packages as we can.  Go to www.carepackagedrive.com if you need more information or email me at Jennie.McFarland@verizon.net.

 

Soldiers’ Wish Lists

*Please purchase the small sizes of items listed below.  The smaller ‘travel’ sizes work best.

**Please do not bring food items containing chocolate.   We cannot send chocolate because it will melt in transit.

Toiletries	Food	Misc. Items	Magazines/Newspapers
Foot Powder	Microwaveable Meals	Black Socks	Sports
Razors	Cheese & Cracker Packets	Knit Skull Caps	Cars
Q-Tips	Beef Jerky	Under Armor T-shirts	Fitness
Chap Stick	Store bought cookies	Hand Warmers	Outdoors
Shaving Cream (tubes)	Slim Jims	AA and AAA batteries	Crossword Puzzles
Nail Clippers	Tuna Fish in Packets	Crayons	Comic Books
Wet Wipes	Dry Cereal	Blank Discs	Recent Sports Sections
	Cup-a-Soup	DVDs
	Granola Bars	AT&T Calling Cards
	Sunflower or Pumpkin Seeds	Small Flashlights
	Gatorade (Powdered mixes only!)	Mini Travel Games
	Gum	Flip Flops (for showers)
	Hard Candy	Disposable Cameras

 
 

We also sincerely appreciate monetary donations to help defray shipping costs (each box we send costs $10.95).  Checks can be made payable to Jennie McFarland or St. Augustine’s Church and mailed to Jennie McFarland, 40 Cherry Avenue, New Rochelle, NY  10801.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

 THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your hard work, incredible generosity and spirit!!  The care package drive at St. Augustine’s was another HUGE success.
 
Thanks to an incredible showing of support, we ended with enough care item donations to pack 530 awesome boxes and received enough $$ donations to ship them too - -  HOORAY!  The awesome Mt. Vernon Post Office came out of their way and picked up the boxes yesterday afternoon so our care packages are already on their way.   You guys are the BEST and I feel lucky to have such great family, friends and neighbors.  I know the U.S. Troops that receive our boxes will especially appreciate the fact that you all went out, spent your own money on care items, wrote letters and helped pack and pay the shipping costs on the care packages. 
 
We had a few last minute donations and I expect to pack another 10 + boxes before Easter to bring our total over the past 2 years to OVER 2,000 care packages sent from our group.  I will forward the thank you notes as they come in and we will also again post them on our website http://www.carepackagedrive.com/
 
Happy Easter/Happy Spring and I hope you all feel as good about our effort yesterday as I do!
 
Thanks again,
Jennie

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please Help Us Support Our American Troops

Care Package Drive at St. Augustine’s Church

Sunday, March 16, 2008

We are again collecting care items and packing boxes to send to our Troops serving in Iraq & Afghanistan on Sunday, March 16^th  from 10am – 1pm.  

 This will be our 5^th care package drive at St. Augustine’s Church.  Over the past 2 years thanks to the generosity of many, we have sent more than 1,400 care packages to grateful Marines, Sailors, Soldiers Airmen and women.  

 

Please bring items from list below and we also encourage you to include personal notes of support. 

 

We also welcome donations to help pay for shipping costs.  Each box shipped will cost $8.95.  You can make your checks payable to St. Augustine’s Church or to cash.

 

*Please purchase the small sizes of items listed below.  The smaller ‘travel’ sizes work best.
**Please do not bring food items containing chocolate.   We cannot send chocolate because it will melt in transit.