Lift our soldiers' morale with hamper of goodies (From Halesowen News)
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Lift our soldiers' morale with hamper of goodies
4:10pm Tuesday 31st March 2009 in News
HELPING: Shop manager Barbara Roe, left, and volunteer Marcelle Bugg from the Salvation Army shop in Droitwich with one of the hampers. (13178102)
GENEROUS staff at a charity shop are urging people to prepare packages that can be sent out to troops from Worcestershire who have just been deployed to Afghanistan.
Volunteers at the Salvation Army have put up posters and displays in the front window of the shop in St Andrew’s Square, Droitwich, in the hope of drumming up some extra support for soldiers serving with 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters).
We previously reported in your Worcester News how about 550 troops have been or are in the process of being sent out to Helmand province for another tour of duty.
The last tour in 2007 saw nine Mercians killed while many more were injured.
Barbara Roe, who is the manager of the Salvation Army shop in Droitwich, said that is why it is so important that plenty of parcels containing goodies and essentials such as extra socks are sent out because they help boost morale.
“We thought we would try and support them as much as we can,” she said. “We know it’s not always a good time to do these things so for those people who haven’t got time to go shopping we will accept cash donations and do the shopping on their behalf.
“We know what the soldiers want and what is acceptable to send.”
Mrs Roe said there are ready-made hampers in the shop, which are designed to give people an idea of what to send if they do make their own packages.
Dried foods, pasta, soups, and sauces are recommended as are sweets, socks, soaps, shower gels and any other toiletries. Aerosols and tins are to be avoided.
“We just wondered what we could do because it is in the news all of the time,” said Mrs Roe. “Now that the soldiers have gone we are all geared up and ready to go.”
Mrs Roe said people who put packages together for the troops can drop them off at the shop when it is open between 9am and 4pm, except on Sundays when the shop is closed.
