Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
Local couple collects postage for care packages to troops at Hy-Vee
Miranda Wycoff, Journal Staff
Miranda Wycoff, the Journal
A man who only wants to be known as the Santa bought the postage for a cart full of care packages to be donated to the troops in combat zones on Nov. 11. The U.S. Troop Foundation puts together the care packages, which contain non-perishable items and sends them overseas. They were stationed outside of Hy-Vee, 310 S.W. Ward Road on Nov.11 with shopping carts filled with the packages, soliciting donations to mail them.
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closeA Blue Springs man and his wife and two other volunteers stood outside Hy-Vee on Ward Road in Lee’s Summit with their mouths hanging open.
“That was so cool,” said Jeff Relitz, who along with his wife, Linda Relitz, run the U.S. Troop Support Foundation, an organization that mails care packages to troops in combat areas.
The couple and volunteers, Tom Garrett and JoAnn Abington, had just witnessed a Christmas miracle — on Veterans Day.
The U.S. Troop Support Foundation was stationed in front of each entrance to Hy-Vee that morning asking shoppers if they would like to pay for the postage of one care package to U.S. military troops stationed in combat areas. Behind their tables were shopping carts filled to the brim with boxes full of care packages ready to be mailed. Those interested in helping were asked to take a box to customer service and pay the $11.95 in postage.
But that morning Garrett, a Korean War veteran didn’t even get to finish his speech to one man before the man, who only wants to be known as “Santa,” grabbed an entire cart and pushed it inside to pay for all the packages.
“I was still explaining,” Garrett said. “He said, ‘I’ll just take the whole thing.’ I thought he was kidding. “That was just beautiful.”
Included in each care package are non-perishable food items, new socks and underwear and anything useful a soldier in a combat zone would want.
“I did three tours in Korea,” Garrett said. “So I know what it means to get a package from home.
“To me it’s a privilege to help.”
The boxes donated on Nov. 11 and the 658 boxes donated on Nov. 7 while the organization was at Hy-Vee in Lee’s Summit should reach the soldiers by Thanksgiving, Jeff Relitz said.
The Relitz’s started the U.S. Troop Support Foundation in January 2003. Their son had been deployed to Afghanistan and the proud parents realized how much their son enjoyed getting care packages from home. So Jeff and Linda began to form a small group of friends and family willing to help other soldiers. In 2003 they served more than 187 Marines.
The cause kept growing and eventually in 2006 the U.S. Troop Support Foundation was official.
Since it’s inception, the foundation has supported more than 200,000 troops with care packages.
In addition to the care packages, Jeff and Linda and the U.S. Troop Foundation have begun to help the families of deployed troops.
“If a toilet breaks and the husband is overseas, his family can call us and we’ll act as a go-between,” Linda said.
Additionally, the foundation even provides recipes for snacks and treats that will mail easier than traditional baked goods on their Web site.
“They love stuff from home,” Linda said. “I have a recipe for brownies that will stay good for six months on the site.”
For more information about the U.S. Troop Support Foundation, go to www.ustroopsupport.org.
To reach Journal reporter Miranda Wycoff, call 816-282-7017 or e-mail mwycoff@lsjournal.com
