Crescent-News.com - Area woman leading the charge for troop day

By PETER GREER

greer@crescent-news.com

ANTWERP -- With seemingly no end in sight to the Iraq War, a local postal worker is doing her part to acknowledge Saturday as Paulding County Troop Appreciation Day.

Troop Appreciation Day is a collaborative effort between the Antwerp VFW and Northwest Scenic Route, of which Darla Kilgore is a member.

"It doesn't have to be just Paulding County appreciation day," she said. "Anyone in the Defiance area who wants to (take part), I'd be more than happy with."

Kilgore has scoured Paulding, Antwerp, Oakwood and Payne in recent weeks in an effort to locate as many names of county military personnel serving overseas as she can. And for each person she located, Kilgore prepares care packages filled with numerous different items to make life a bit easier for our fighting forces.

"The support has been overwhelming," she said of the project.

Those wishing to take part in Troop Appreciation Day can get a large box from the post office labeled, "America Supports its Troops," along with the name of one of the military personnel members submitted to Kilgore.

"We're asking people to fill the boxes," said Kilgore, who added that participants receive not only a name but proper forms to fill out in order to ship the care packages to the military.

Postage for the boxes totals $10.95.

Although she is not asking for financial donations, she has noted that some people have given money toward the project.

Kilgore plans to spend much of next weekend returning to Paulding County municipalities to pick up donors' care packages, which will then be sent to service members on May 3.

Also provided to donors is a list of items requested by the military.

"The biggest one is anything homemade," she said. "They all go a little crazy when they see things like that."

Also high on the list are hard candies and small toys such as Beanie Babies that can be given to children overseas.

Suggested items that can be sent overseas include moist wipes, candy, CDs (blank or with music), Chap Stick, cheese or peanut butter crackers, coffee packages, cookies, disposable cameras, dental floss, dried fruit, facial tissues, fast food condiment packages, flashlights, foot powder, Girl Scout cookies, gum, hand sanitizer, homemade items, jerky, letters and other personal messages, Nerf toys, nuts, Odor Eaters, pencils, pens, phone cards, playing cards, powdered drink mix, razors, sardines, small toys, snacks, stationery, sunflower and other seeds, tea bags, toothbrushes, toothpaste (travel size), travel games, travel mugs, trail mix, tuna snack kits, Vienna sausage, white crew socks.

Prohibited are alcohol, chocolate (it melts), clothing except for white crew socks, nail polish and pornography.

Those with questions may contact Kilgore at the Antwerp Post Office, 303 N. Main St.