Active-duty military will be the beneficiaries of a new holiday shipping event.
The father and son teams of Lt. Col. (Ret) Patrick Soos and William Soos and Fahim Mojawalla and Yusuf Mojawalla are teaming up with the Pfc. Charles DeGlopper Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 9249, the Island Ship Center and Momma De's Mixing Bowl to encourage the community to build and ship a package of thanks and support to Grand Island military service members stationed across the world. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 2.
Organizers of the event ask Islanders to send service members' names and mailing addresses to the DeGlopper VFW Post by Dec. 1. The Island Ship Center and Momma De's Mixing Bowl will provide discounted items to help build a box to ship to one or more service members.
Supporters can donate to this event through cash contribution or dropping off items at the VFW Post or the Island Ship Center, 1879 Whitehaven Road. Each box will cost approximately $20 in shipping costs.
According to Patrick Soos, items for a care package include:
•Quick protein: energy bars, nonperishable beef jerky.
•Snacks: Look for small, hard containers of chips, pretzels and nuts. Snack cakes, cheese crackers, and cookies are in high demand.
•Candy and gum: "Send plenty of extras for your service member to share," Soos said.
•Reading material: Paperback books, current magazines, comic books.
•Word games, crossword puzzles, word searches, jigsaw puzzles.
•Writing material: notepaper, envelopes, pens, pencils and stamps.
•Thank you notes.
For more information, visit the Island Ship Center or call 716-773-6300.
