OAK LAWN, IL — Fifth-graders at Harnew Elementary School in Oak Lawn led a schoolwide collection drive to provide comfort items for overseas troops. The students worked with Operation Support Our Troops, which supports the morale and well-being of American armed forces serving overseas by providing comfort, resources and education to them and their families both while they are deployed.
The fifth-graders advertised the collection drive to the rest of the school. The students went to various classrooms every day to pick up such donated items, such as protein bars, snacks, instant coffee and tea bags, personal care items and more.
Every student at Harnew also penned a letter to an individual service member to be sent with the care packages. Also lending a hand were technology teacher Jane Garner and the Ridgeland Dist. 122 Brownie-Girl Scouts.
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The last day of the collection is Tuesday, May 30. If residents would like to donate, there will be a box under the doorbell at Harnew’s main entrance. All of the donated items will be shipped to Operation Support Our Troops, who will prepare the boxes to be overseas. (See the donation list and make sure there are no expired items.)
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An estimated 160,000 service members are currently serving overseas. If you or someone you know is a deployed service person serving in harm’s way can be added to Operation Support Our Troops’ comfort package mailing list. Service members will receive at least one 25-pound box filled with comfort items that cannot be purchased from the PX or not the same as back home. Letters and drawings from community members that helped supply the items in the box. Operation Support Our Troops also has items for Military K-9s.
To add the name of a military person, email [email protected]. Be sure to include the name of the military member, complete address, branch of service, male or female (some personal care items are gender specific), date of deployment and expected date of return. Operation Support Our Troops does not send packages unsolicited.
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