Packaging love for the troops in Afghanistan
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PHILADELPHIA, PA.
Members of the Logan Ward, Philadelphia Pennsylvania Stake, packed several dozen boxes of goodies and general hygiene items for shipment to U.S. Army troops in Afghanistan.
At least 85 ward members congregated on March 21 and worked together in an assembly line to fill all 59 boxes that local post offices had available. The idea for the service project came from MaryAnn Eads, the ward's Relief Society president whose father was recently stationed in Afghanistan. Ward members donated the items to send and some local businesses offered to cover part of the shipping costs.
Bishop Richard Storm was impressed by the ward members' willingness to serve. "Our members really caught the vision of service today," he said. "We have no idea who will receive these items, but that isn't the point. Helping others in need is its own reward."
Tables were piled high with tubes of toothpaste, packages of powdered lemonade, cartons of snack cakes, crossword-puzzle books, toothbrushes and bags of beef jerky. At one table, ward members filled out mailing labels; at another, they folded and taped the shipping boxes together. Primary children helped write cards and also inserted a ward picture into each of the packages.
"I loved seeing the amount of items our ward was able to provide for the troops," said Amy Ritter. "Most of us in the ward have small paychecks but we have large, giving hearts. I hope the men and women who will receive the boxes can feel the love in the package that I felt the day we packed them."
