Area residents will have an opportunity to help local National Guardsmen on active duty in Afghanistan by contributing to care packages set up at the Sunshine Foods grocery store in Madison.
Shirley Moore has organized a project that will set up donation boxes in the front of Sunshine Foods so that donors can give nonperishable, securely-packaged items for shipment to southwest Asia. Moore said that it takes two weeks for the care packages to arrive at their destination after they are mailed.
Moore plans to make available a list of items appropriate for shipment, such as jerky, snack chips, hard candy, energy drinks and powdered drink mixes. She said the local Guardsmen with the 211th Engineer Company have access to a microwave oven, allowing them to heat microwave popcorn and microwaveable meals.
Personnel with the 211th will handle the distribution of packages in Afghanistan.
To ship some of the packages, Moore organized several local groups, such as church youth groups and women's organizations, that will pick up the boxes and mail them. She has set a goal of sending four boxes per week until two weeks before the 211th is scheduled to return stateside.
Moore is currently recruiting other volunteers to help with the project. More information is available by calling her at 270-9949.
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