Lions Assemble And Send Care Packages To The Troops

By Shannon Hicks

Just about a month ago Newtown Lions Club put a request into The Newtown Bee seeking the names and addresses of anyone in Newtown who is active duty military personnel. The families of nearly a dozen people responded; six families have members already serving overseas, and another five families have soldiers in the basic training phase of their careers.

With that information in hand, Lions Club members have spent the past few weeks deciding what could be put into a care package for these residents that would let them know they are being thought about and appreciated.

This is the second year for the club’s project, and six care packages will soon be on their way to American soldiers.

“All of us appreciate the sacrifices being made by the service personnel and their families. This project is the Newtown Lions Club’s way of saying Thank You to each individual who is serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait,” said Waylon Johnson, a member of the Lions Club and chairman of the care packages project.

“The Newtown Lions are sponsoring this year’s project out of funds raised through our yearly fundraising activities as well as from donations from Costco and local dentist Rob Fischer,” Mr Johnson continued.

According to the response received by the Lions Club, there are currently six Newtown service personnel serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait, representing the Air Force, Army, and Marines.

The care packages project, Mr Johnson noted, will be an ongoing activity “since personnel rotate into and out of the Mideast Theater throughout the year.”

Last year the Lions collected items for a similar project it did in collaboration with the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion of Danbury, which was serving in Iraq. Donations were received from individuals, businesses, merchants, and organizations. Donations of both cash and requested items were received in abundance.

This year the Lions Club focused on Newtown residents and their family members, and used funds from its own budget to cover the costs of purchasing most items and to cover the expected costs of shipping. Starting with the lists of requested items that came from soldiers last year and adding new items as suggested by families and friends of current active duty members, Lions Club members headed to Costco in Brookfield last week to “shop until we dropped,” said Mr Johnson.

Purchased items included Q-Tips, plastic bags (in which to store items and keep them sand-free), wipes for glasses and body, and plenty of snacks like trail mix, cookies, and other foods.

“We put a good dent in the candy aisle,” Frank Gardner said with a chuckle. Along with the snacks, the soldiers will also be receiving toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss thanks to the generosity of one local dentist. Newtown Girl Scout Troop 411 also donated cases of Girl Scout cookies to be included in this year’s care packages.

While there are six packages about to be shipped overseas by the end of this month, additional packages are already being planned for May and June. The Lions Club already has the names of four residents, all National Guard members, who are in training at Fort Bragg, and another person in basic at Fort Carson.

“They will all receive boxes when they are sent into duty,” Paul Arneth said.