BOXES FOR HEROES

WASILLA — At the Boys and Girls Club in Wasilla all last week, boxes were being packed with care. No, the popular youth center is not in the process of moving to a new location; rather, dozens of volunteers were putting together donation packages to ship to troops serving in Iraq and other areas overseas.

Boxes for Heroes, a non-profit program organized by Frank Roach, a navy veteran, is a project aimed at collecting necessary store-bought items and sending them to military connexes overseas. Some of the items collected, including hard candy and Otter pops, and other treats, have long been enjoyed by soldiers serving long tours in the Middle East’s hostile conditions, Roach said.

Roach, director of fundraising for the Alaska Veterans Foundation, said the Boxes for Heroes program was launched on the idea that the American public could do more to assist the troops overseas. For him, he said, it was a necessity, if not mandatory, that he show his support.

In 2006, Roach sent his nephew, Sgt. David Kuzmar, who is serving his second tour in Iraq, a box of bathroom items and writing essentials. Kuzmar wrote back thanking Roach noting that it would be great if all his fellow troops received surprise care packages like his. From there, Roach said Boxes for Heroes was born and he began collecting donations around the Mat-Su Valley.

One by one, Roach’s boxes were filled with fundamental items, including mixed nuts, beef jerky, hard candy, drink mix, cheese crackers, snack items, Otter pops, baby wipes, foot powder, batteries, stationary, envelopes, lip balm, zip-close plastic bags, lubricated eyedroppers and razors, to name a few.

“We’re shooting to fill about 500 boxes by the end of this week,” Roach said from inside the Boys and Girls Club garage turned storage unit Thursday afternoon.

In its first year, more than 800 boxes were filled and sent to Alaska’s overseas military troops. The next year, the box total reached 1000. Roach said to double the 2008 fundraising efforts, he will again organize a Boxes for Heroes program near the holidays to give the year’s total close to 1,500 boxes.

Roach said he and his team of volunteers spent last week set up outside of Three Bears Alaska grocery stores, asking shoppers to purchase items off his list for the cause. From small business to personal donations, the items began to pile up, prompting more help to collect and distribute the items into individual care packages.

On Thursday, almost a dozen young women from local Girl Scout Troop 84 and 225 volunteered their time to help with the cause. One by one, the teens dropped newly purchased magazines, books, razors and other items into the boxes to be sent to Fort Richardson to be mailed out next week.

“It gives these girls a chance to get involved with the war efforts,” said Linda Hayes, Wasilla’s Girl Scout Troop 84 leader.

Hayes said the scouts donated more than 25 boxes of Girl Scout cookies they sold and dedicated their time to Boxes for Heroes efforts, mainly through Roach’s strong persuasion.

“Frank called over at my business, Rainbow River Expeditions, asking for donations for these care packages,” Hayes explained. “I called my girls and now we’re here. This helps them out with their cookie sales too.”

Hayes also said Wasilla’s Brownie troops wrote “thank you” notes to place in each box as an added bonus.

Local businesses also got in on the efforts.

Al Bean from Smoked Alaska off Frontage Road in Wasilla donated dozens of packages of smoked salmon for Boxes for Heroes.

The Alaska Veterans Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to supporting active troops and veterans in Alaska’s armed forces, has collaborated with Fort Richardson personnel to ensure the boxes will be mailed to the troops overseas. Many of the soldiers on the list to receive the boxes were referred to Roach from military family members and officers stationed at Fort Richardson.

Roach said families of service men and women serving in conflict can contact him to have their names put on the list for future disbursements.

“We’ve collected more charity boxes than any other group in the country,” Roach said. “We wanted to show them how much we appreciate all they’re doing for us.”

Some products are regarded as gold to troops serving in the Middle East, like tubs of fragrance-free baby wipes. Wipes with scents attract sand flies.

Since 2007, Three Bears Alaska has participated in Boxes for Heroes by donating several of the items needed. Roach’s team of volunteers sets up outside the mega-store’s two parking lots in search for assistance from local shoppers.

Volunteer Susan Meyer dedicated hours of help each week to assemble the hundreds of boxes, now ready to be shipped. For her, Roach said, it’s a dedication that shouldn’t go without notice.

“Without her, a lot of the things we do here would be a lot harder to get done,” Roach said. “My hat goes off to her every day. I tried giving her money out of my pocket for gas and what not, but she wouldn’t have it.”

Susan Meyer’s daughter Jennifer knows all too well about the hardships troops face overseas. Last year, her boyfriend was shot and killed while serving in Iraq.

On Thursday, the Meyer family helped package items up to do their part to show U.S. armed forces they care.

“I’m trying to help out wherever I can,” Meyer said. “They’re over there fighting for their lives, so I think I can give one week of packing to help out.”