By JOE BOCANEGRA
Special to the NEWS
Emma Alvarado wants you to donate to the Valley military.
She and Lupita Martinez have founded American Military Support (AMS), a local non-profit organization pending official status which sends care packages to the military troops from the Rio Grande Valley. Begun in March 2010, they have sent out hundreds of packages to Valley troops overseas.
“We want to improve the quality of our servicemen and women that are overseas, and for that we need support from the Valley,” Alvarado said.
The organization came about after seeing many military charity organizations become involved during the holiday season, so they started to set up one specifically for Valley military that is on a continual – monthly – basis.
They seek to get local businesses and schools to help out. “Last Christmas, we had the entire Donna school district give us a whole truckload, because the school administration got involved and told the schools that they were going to do it,” Alvarado said.
How it works is quite simple: The organization asks the parents or relatives for a mailing address or an e-mail and they set up a “Quality of Life” package to mail. The package consists of a two-gallon bag with a one-quart bag filled with hygiene essentials – soap, shampoo, toothpaste, wipes, etc. – and another one-quart bag filled with various non-perishable store-bought goodies – snack bars, candies, and cookies. It also includes essential clothing items, postcards, reading material, and anything else that the public gives them.
At the moment, AMS has launched the Fall Troop Gear Up, their fall campaign, starting Aug. 22 and ending Sept. 30. Items they need at the moment for the campaign include fleece blankets (50 x 60 in), travel pillows, hand and foot warmers, bath towels, black thermal socks and black work socks.
They also accept monetary donations. “There are some people who just want to write a check out, which is okay. We can have a warehouse full of stuff, but if we don’t have the money to send it out, it just sits there,” Alvarado said.
They also need volunteers to help spread the word of the organization.
For more information, call (956) 425-1549, or to view the complete list of items needed visit the website at www.americanmilitary.com.
To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the Aug. 24 edition of the San Benito News. Or view our E-Edition by clicking here.
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