OSOT Friends! We have already starting planning for this year's Christmas Stocking Project.  We hope to be able to increase the amount of Holiday Cheer that we will be sending to our deployed troops in December 2008.  We would greatly appreciate any and all assistance to make this project as successful as it has been.

 

 We plan to officially open our Stocking Store in mid-October.  Our location in North Wilmington, Delaware, has not yet been determined.  Our hours of operation will remain the same as last year:  Monday through Thursday, from 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM.  We will schedule some weekend daytime hours after we get started.  We plan to mail out all our Holiday boxes the first week of December and then we will complete this great project. 

 

Won't you all join with us to make sure our Troops know that we are all thinking of them over the Holidays?

 

1.  Sewing stockings is the first step.  Ask your friends to join us in sewing the stockings.  If you need a pattern, please drop me an email.

2.  Please donate Christmas fabric, any “happy” fabric and white, red and green smooth felt.  Many people have extra fabric that they will never use.  Let’s ask our friends.

3.  For those who do not sew, please cut out the stockings, the felt cuffs and the loops.

4.  Please donate polar fleece for us to make blankets later.      

5.  Please contact your schools, your religious organizations and community groups to suggest a collection drive in the fall for our Troops.  Ask them to join us in writing letters of support.  Please see the 2008 Flyer for the list of items to collect.  Also, many students need to earn community service hours.  This project would be a great way to earn them.

6.   Our Girl Scout volunteers last year helped us to make 3200 packets of Snowman Soup.  It was a great hit.  The contents are: small sandwich-size plastic bags, hot chocolate in envelopes, candy canes and chocolate candy kisses, small marshmallows, tied closed with a ribbon.  We would like to make more this year.  This is a fun job for families sitting around the kitchen table.

 7.  Financial donations would be greatly appreciated due to the additional increase in postal fees to mail these packages to our deployed Troops.  The cost to mail each box is approximately $16.00.  Our parent organization, Operation Support Our Troops, is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charity.  Please ask your friends and employers to help us to raise the funds needed to mail all our boxes.  Last year, we sent 664 boxes.  We plan to increase that number this year. 

With sincere appreciation and gratitude for all of your participation,

Judy Travis
Jamt1@Aol.com