The American Legion Jack London Post 489 and The Sonoma Battalion are hard at work making sure service men and women know they’re being thought about this holiday season.
Their Dance for the Troops fundraiser held in late October was a big success, raising more than $10,000 for the “Operation: With Love from Home” project. The money raised will pay the postage on hundreds of care packages being sent to troops overseas.
To fill the packages, the group is now seeking donations of items of everything from PowerBars to decks of cards, socks, chewing gum, toothpaste and razor blades. A full list of items is available on their Web site at sonomaops.org.
“This project was Ron Gruetter’s idea. It was being done in Napa and he knows first hand that Sonoma is a great community in terms of fundraising and charitable giving. We’re hoping to collect enough to fill 500 to 700 care packages,” said organizer, Gary Magnani.
Magnani also wants to get the word out to anyone in the area with a loved one overseas he’s looking for addresses in Iraq and Afghanistan to which he can post the packages.
Patriotically decorated collection barrels with shopping lists are located throughout Sonoma including at Lucky, ParkPoint Fitness, The Fitness Factory, Sonoma Valley Bank, Off Broadway Cleaners, Bank of America, Vintage House, U.S. Bank, Safeway, Price Pump and CVS/Longs. Interested schools, churches and service organizations can also sign up to be a collection location by calling Ron Gruetter at 707.996.8094 or Gary Magnani at 707.996.8386.
Magnani also says handwritten letters of hope and support as well as holiday cards are gifts from the heart are also welcome and can be dropped off in the collection bins.
