Sunday, July 6, 2008

Support Your Troops Drive For Supplies Wraps Up!

The response to the drive for model supplies was fantastic!

The goal to fill Capt. Mac Kinnon’s duffel bag was far exceeded. To date, more than $2000.00 in supplies and cash has been donated.

Several local businesses stepped up to the plate.

They need paint and brushes? Sue at Sales Paint Center in Paris said to come help ourselves.

They need sandpaper? The folks at www.sandpaper.ca in St. George sent a huge supply.

Need a truck to get it all to Trenton? Nick from T& C Delivery in Brantford is the man!

Need a wholesaler? Mike from Mohawk Convenience hooks us up.


Then there was the community response.

Susan Gamble at The Expositor gave coverage that we couldn’t buy.

At Brantford City Hall, Councilor James Calnan and Mayor’s Executive Assistant Josie Mannen spearheaded a drive that saw a thirty gallon drum nearly filled with various supplies.

Cindy Oliver organized a drive amongst the staff at the Brantford Food Bank, as a thank you to the Troops from Brantford that help out at Christmas Baskets every year.

Deputy Fire Chief Jackson and Police Inspector Dave Weidrick offered their respective facilities as donation points.

South Brant Legion pulled out its checkbook and asked, “How much?”

The Navy Club and the AN&AF Club gathered donations from their patrons, and one of the bar stewards even went as far as buying toys for the Afghan Children.

There have been numerous cash donations and people giving supplies. One lady in Milton went to a hobby store and bought a big bag of supplies, as her Husband had recently retired from the Forces, after making more than one tour of Afghanistan, and knew full well the boredom to be relieved.

To attempt to thank everyone would result in an extremely long page, and someone would get missed.

Why did they want to help?

Capt Mac Kinnon tells a story of one Forward Operating Base (FOB) that gets bombed from 5:00 to 8:00 pm daily.

Every day.

So, every day the Troops go to shelter for hours and wait. While the earth gets pounded overhead, these guys need to have something to keep their minds off the daily blasting.

What do the Troops do with finished models?

They give them away.

There are hundreds of Afghan Children with finished scale models to display and play with, thanks to our troops. Hard to think that for some of them it’s their only toy.

To all that offered something, anything, thank you.

The Troops will be made aware that Brantford cares.

Donations are still being accepted, and can be made at The Navy Club, 54 Wadsworth St. Brantford or by contacting DJ at http://djwbee.blogspot.com/