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The Hugs Project -- Volunteers send needed supplies to foot soldiers
Foot powder. Wet Wipes. Beef jerky and sunflower seeds. To most, these items wouldn't seem like much as Christmas gifts. But for foot patrol soldiers in Iraq, it's just what they want, and will find, in holiday packages sent from the homeland.
Sending boxes of goodies to troops in the Middle East is nothing new for Debra Cappel of McCook. She and her daughter, Sarah, have been doing it for more than year, as local coordinators with the Hugs Project, based out of Oklahoma.
Soldiers on foot patrol have only what they can put in their pockets and what they carry, Cappel said, and are often stationed at remote posts providing security. For some, the nearest PX is two weeks away and supplies often run out.
"The military takes care of the basics, but it's the little extras that the troops are lacking," she said. "I'm always shopping. I hit every 'Black Friday' sale I could to stock up on things."
She makes sure no space is wasted in each three-inch wide, 14-inch tall box. "It's amazing how much you can fit into these boxes," said Cappel, who has gotten it down to a science. "It's like fitting pieces of a puzzle together."
These care packages are shared by all the soldiers, with a box of food reportedly gone in a couple of hours.
A typical box can hold about 30 items and is crammed with things like Q-tips, deodorant and other hygiene items, mints and gum, DVD movies, magazines inserted with cards made by local school children, popcorn, tins of tuna and other comforts from home.
Beef jerky is a huge request, she said and thanks to 40 pounds of beef donated by two McCook individuals, Cappel was able to make plenty of it. Other items soldiers always request are "Wet Wipes" for the ever-present sand, instant packages of oatmeal and flash drives for computers, so soldiers can store pictures to send back home.
Cappel tries to fulfill all requests. One troop requested York Peppermint Patties and she sent them a box full, sandwiched in between Little Debbie apple cakes. With winter now under way, troops have requested blankets and thermal shirts, she said, which were included in the Christmas care packages.
Beanie Babies are also needed, or other small stuffed toys that will be sent to Iraqi children wounded in the war. Cappel will send the box to a soldier with direct ties to a Baghdad hospital.
Others who have helped Cappel include the volleyball team at McCook Community College and their Coach, Gary Payne.
While Cappel's daughter is away at college this year, she needed some extra help to get the boxes packed in time for Christmas and Payne, a veteran of Desert Storm, was more than happy to lend an extra hand -- or in this case, the extra 12 pairs of hands.
"This helps the girls to connect to the troops and is their way of giving back," Payne said, with his team packing up 58 boxes.
The community has overwhelmingly responded to her request for items, Cappel said.
"McCook has been great. Everyone has been so generous," she related. "In the beginning (of the war) there was a big patriotic push, but people get complacent ... they go on with their lives and forget what's going on."
Contributing items for the troops is one way to re-connect and to let them know we still care, she said.
Cappel is still needing volunteers to help pack and donate items for inventory, as she will continue to send boxes after Christmas. Anyone who would like to help, such as shopping for a soldier as a family project, assist in packing, sponsoring postage or donating food items, can call her at (308) 345-6768.
Each person can make a difference, she said. "Freedom isn't free -- it's borne on the shoulders of these young men and women and their families. This is one way of saying thank you."