Burlington County Freeholders announced that they are partnering with Operation Yellow Ribbon of South Jersey and Burlington County College to sponsor a county-wide collection of items for care packages for troops stationed over-seas.
“We are collecting items for our troops that will hopefully bring them a little holiday cheer and let the men and women who fight every day to protect us know that Burlington County supports and honors them,” said Burlington County Freeholder Director Bruce Garganio.
Items will be accepted at selected county locations during normal business hours through noon on Thursday, Dec. 11. Collection boxes will be in the lobbies:
· County Administration Building and Court Facility at 49 Rancocas Road in Mt. Holly
· Human Services Building at 795 Woodlane Road in Westampton
· Health Department at 15 Pioneer Boulevard in Westampton
· Public Safety Building on Pioneer Boulevard in Westampton
· Engineering Building at 1900 Briggs Road in Mt. Laurel
· The Eco Complex at 1200 Florence Columbus Road in Bordentown Township
· All County Library Facilities
· BCC Mt. Laurel Campus, Route 38
· BCC Pemberton Campus, 601 Pemberton Browns Mills Road
· BCC McGuire Education Center, room 107, Building 3829, 4 School Road, McGuire AFB
Operation Yellow Ribbon of South Jersey sends over 2,300 pounds of treats and personal notes each month to our brave women and men deployed to Afghanistan.
“This is a great way for residents to get into the holiday spirit this season by showing our appreciation for our US Armed Forces,” Garganio said. “We are asking residents to help us collect items and also personal, unsealed notes of thanks and encouragement.”
Adults can include an address or e-mail if they would like a possible response from our recipients. Some of the troops will respond but some do not have e-mail access, so they might not write back. Children are encouraged to create or write their own holiday cards or notes to show support to our troops, but no last names, addresses, email addresses or phone numbers can be included.
“Burlington County residents have been so supportive of our food drives and toy collections in the past and I am confident that they will whole-heartedly join us in this effort as well,” Garganio said.
The following items have been requested from our troops:
• Tastykakes/cupcakes or those type snacks
• Rice Crispy treats
• Sealed packets/bagged tuna and chicken
• Gum/candy etc. (Skittles, Swedish Fish, Twizzlers)
• Breakfast Bars
• Roasted peanuts/mixed nuts or Dried fruit
• Potato chips in cylinder or can
• Beef Jerky or Slim Jims
• Crystal Light Drink Mix Individual Packets
• Powdered drink mix (Gatorade etc.)
• Ground Coffee or Tea
• Pumpkin Seeds or Sunflower Seeds
• Baby powder/Foot powder
• Baby wipes
• Visine or Saline eye drops
• Chapstick/Lip Balm
• Tissues
• Small hand sanitizer
• Puzzle or small crossword books
• Batteries (AA, AAA, C, D)
• Hand held electronic games: poker, bingo, etc.
***No Magazines/Books/Hotel toiletries Please***
***No Open, Used, Out of Date or expired items***
Operation Yellow Ribbon of South Jersey will also be hosting a holiday cookie and baked goods drive to send to the troops deployed in Afghanistan and supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Items will only be accepted on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the 8th Legislative District Office at 176 Route 70, Suite 13 in Medford. For more, please contact Dave Silver at OperationYellowRibbonSJ@gmail.com.
Volunteers will pack and box all donated items to be mailed to recipients on the care package mailing list. Besides baked goods, store bought cookies and treats will also be accepted and shipped.
Please put cookies in layers in large plastic zip closed bags or in light weight disposable containers. Containers of any type will not be returned because they will be used to ship to recipients.
