Our Service Members need car magazines. Please Help!
I have been sending care packages to our troops this last year. Recently I recieved an email from one of my guys (Marc) who distributes the care packages for me. He stated that the service members get a lot of toothpaste, candy and cookies, etc., but they would also really like some car/truck/motorcycle as well as Field and Stream, and Home and Garden magazines as they are pretty scarce. Remember that porn is illegal.
I was thinking that some of you could help out as all my old magazines(even my classic ones) have been shipped out months ago. It seems like a pretty small sacrifice to give up some old magazines. I asked a couple of the local car clubs to get their members to send out their old car/truck and motorcycle magazines to my contact listed below. I was hoping some of you could help out too.
Some other items that are a great help to the troops to put into care packages are notebooks and pens. The soldiers give them to the kids and parents. In turn the Afghan people start to trust the soldiers more and start giving them information on the enemy. Certainly trust and respect are worth a few pens and tablets of paper.
The post office will supply you with a free Flat rate box that will fit magazines and notebooks perfectly. They cost $8.90 to ship and will arrive in a week, maybe two. You can fill them up to 20 lbs. I have 6 going out today.
Here is the information and address of my guy so you can send packages also.
Marc Piccollo (LT Colonel, a 19 year Air Force veteran) is the Deputy Group Commander for the 755th Air Expeditionary Group based out of Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. He visit sites around the country, checking in on Airmen in very remote forward base locations. Marc is happy to distribute the packages to the troops.
NOTE: Some have added their service member mailing addresses to the posts. That's OK with me if they realize the volume of boxes that could possibly come their direction. This post is also a humanitarian effort, and hopes that any individuals recieving materials because of this forum posting also realize that the addresses included in this first posting already HAVE the capability to distrubute Humanitarian efforts as well. We certainly wouldn't want those packages lost to that effort, well intentioned or not.
Within a week, the numbers of "pledged" boxes on this site alone is near 100. I have no idea how many more boxes will be generated from this. Please be careful when posting your service members address.
See this web site to get current addresses of my contacts who have set up a "Free Store" for all military men and women in their area.
Tell the Post Master that if the box is not deliverable, to mark it "Any Soldier". That way the care package will be delivered to a soldier instead of getting sent back to you.
You can put "HA" on the boxes that need to go to the PRTs (humanatarian asistance missions), and "Troops" on the boxes that are for the military members. REMEMBER to send some writing tablets and pens so the soldiers can hand them to the kids.
I have also been sending care packages, but never thought to send magazines. I not only have hundreds of car magazines, but I know my wife also has hundreds of women's fashion magazines. I can't think of a better way to spend New Years day than putting together some care packages for the troops!
Bill
Quote:
Originally Posted by builder
I have been sending care packages to our troops this last year. Recently I recieved an email from my guy (Marc) who distributes the care packages for me. He stated that the service members get a lot of toothpaste, candy and cookies, etc., but they would also really like some car/truck/motorcycle as well as Field and Stream, and Home and Garden magazines as they are pretty scarce. Remember that porn is illegal.
I was thinking that some of you could help out as all my old magazines(even my classic ones) have been shipped out months ago. It seems like a pretty small sacrifice to give up some old magazines. I asked a couple of the local car clubs to get their members to send out their old car/truck and motorcycle magazines to my contact listed below. I was hoping some of you could help out too.
Other things to put in the packages are notebooks and pens. The soldiers give them to the kids and parents. In turn the Afghan people start to trust the soldiers more and start giving them information on the enemy. Certainly trust and respect are worth a few pens and tablets of paper.
The post office will supply you with a free Flat rate box that will fit magazines and notebooks perfectly. They cost $8.90 to ship and will arrive in a week, maybe two. You can fill them up to 20 lbs. I have 6 going out today.
Here is the information and address of my guy so you can send packages also.
Marc Piccollo (LT Colonel, a 19 year Air Force veteran) is the Deputy Group Commander for the 755th Air Expeditionary Group based out of Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. He visit sites around the country, checking in on Airmen in very remote forward base locations. Marc is happy to distribute the packages to the troops.
Here is the address to ship care packages to:
M. D. Piccolo
755 AEG / CD
APO AE 09354
Here is an address for Iraq troops;
LT Robert N. Burns Jr., Chaplain
2/8 HQ SVC CO
UNIT 73225
FPO AE 09509-3225
If you write "STOVEBOLT" on the side off the box, Marc will know it is most likely magazines. REMEMBER to send some writing tablets and pens so the soldiers can hand them to the kids.
Thanks for all the help guys. Please remember the pens and paper for the kids. An ink pen would probably be the most expensive item these kids would own.
This weekend I was asked by an acquaintance "What can I do to help?" I told them the best thing that they can do is to keep talking about it and informing people about it. Hand out the address of one of the service members (any soldier) and tell them to keep talking about it. We all get complacent. Talking about it will get more done than if one person just does this in their spare time. That acquaintance handed me $90 to help pay for postage and items.
I tell people to give items and I will take care of the postage. I belong to a non profit dance club and we pay the postage on flat rate boxes. The local car dealers are pretty good at donating to service members. One of our local dealerships donated $40,000 to help fly our local service members home for the holidays. You can make a big impact if you just talk about it.
At my count, there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 to 100 boxes of magazines going to Iraq and Afghanistan. That's just what I know about. In our local club we are suggested that we offer to raise money for postage if people can donate the items for the care packages. For the flat rate USPS boxes it cost $8.95 to ship one priority mail. My last 6 boxes took less than 1 week to reach my contact. We raise money to send the boxes by asking area merchants in a mailing list generated from the Chamber of Commerce. The merchants can also sponsor a dance or some other benefit event to raise money for the cause.
We are encouraging people to bring pens and tablets, among the normal care package items, to give to the kids as a humanitarian effort. The humanitarian efforts do create trust and respect for the soldiers from the Afghan people. Keep talking about these things and keep it alive. Talking about it is free. Other people will jump on the bandwagon if they can feel. Print off and hand out the addresses in the original post. KEEP TALKING ABOUT IT!
Thanks Builder for the information and great idea. I've got a lot of old mags that I don't want to throw away but am honored to send to our troops abroad. I have lots of paper pads at work and pens too so will send those as well.
Builder,
Great idea! I put out an e-mail to our club members (Coles County Corvette Club) here in Central Illinois so we can get involved. Also challenge other Corvette clubs to do the same. None of us could enjoy our freedom and be able to go to our Corvette shows and functions if it were not for our service men and women fighting for those freedoms each and every day. GOD BLESS OUR PRESENT, PAST AND FUTURE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN!!
I've already sent three boxes, and have included everything from Muscle Car, and Vette Vues to Vogue for the women. I've gotten a couple of friends lined up and should now have a good supply of Hunting, fishing and gun magazines as well. We shold be able to get at least one box a week filled.
Is there any interest in books. We have a million. Just let us know what kind of stuff they would like.
Builder,
Great idea. I have just sent out an e-mail to all our Corvette Club members to bring all there magazines and pens and writing pads to our next 4 meetings and we will get these boxed up and sent. I will be going to our club sponsor (Reeves Buick Pontiac) here in Greenwood Indiana and I am sure I can get Bill to pay for the shipping. Bless you for the idea and God Bless our troops for keeping us free.
I'll send another box this week, as soon as the snow melts enough to get to the post office. This is a great way to help our servicemen and women, and a dandy way to clean up my shop. I just didn't have the heart to throw car mags away.
Corvette Store
Our Service Members need car magazines. Please Help!
