BOOKS FOR TROOPS
Click here to edit subtitle
BOOKS FOR TROOPS WANTS TO INCLUDE MORE ITEMS WITH ITS BOOKS
AN UPDATED LIST 2019
AN UPDATED LIST 2019
Books for Troops has received many e-mail and letters from the troops saying that boredom is their biggest enemy. While we are sending DVDs, Books on Tape, puzzle books & comics along with the books, we could always need more because they go so quickly. Here are the items most requested:
DVDs (may be used, but must have cover
Puzzle books, large and small print) cheapest at $1,00 stores)
Books on Tape (may be used)
colored pencils
adult coloring books
NEW playing cards and books on card games
pens
small notebooks that will fit in a pocket
dice. dominoes, Yahtzee, Skip-bo, Uno,
Unused stationary, envelopes or greeting cards
yellow legal pads (large and small)
deodorant (men's women's)
Toothpaste, toothbrushes
checkers, chess, backgammon
poker chips
small drawing pads
rubber flip/flops for showers
white socks for men & women
hand and foot warmers
sanitary napkins
hard candy
sugarless gum
NEW unopened jigsaw puzzles
Board games: Monopoly (any version), Apples to Apples, Clue, Sorry (Please, only new, unopened)
Back issues of such magazines as Time, National Geographic, People, Newsweek or any other magazine on world news, magazines on sports, cars, motorcycles, fitness for men and women, health for men and women, travel magazines, and women's magazines. Magazines can be used but should be less than a year old, especially those on News article for 2019
Please place these items in a closed plastic bag. Items can be left in our drop boxes for books at Halfmoon Town Hall (weekdays from 9-4, or our other drop sites at Bella Napoli in Latham on the left side of the entrance, or our office, 688 rte 9, 200 ft, north of Bella Napoli bakery between a pizza place and Dunyea market.
HEM BOCES FILLS OUR NEED FOR MORE BOOKCASES!
(resize).jpg)
HEM BOCES and their teacher, Don Lucas asked a team of 4 of his students. Mike Peska as foreman and Mike Crounse, Xavier Ortega and Cameron Tarbox to build 4 very sturdy, attractive and very much needed bookcases to house our thousands of books that will eventually be sent to our troops.(The fourth bookcase is in another area housing sci/fi books). Having a place for sorting the books by category provided by these bookcases makes filling the troops specific requests so much more efficient in time and effort saved. Previous to this, books were held in large rubbermaid bins, plowing through the bins everytime we needed specific books. Now the books are all on display by category and ABC order. Already filled with classics and non-fiction, the above bookcases have made a huge difference in completing our smorgasboard of bookcases that categorize our books. Thanks to Don and his team for taking their time and their expertise to help us support the troops!
BOOKS FOR TROOPS NEEDS HUNDREDS OF PUZZLE BOOKS
Both the VA hospitals and the troops continually request all kinds of puzzle books: Word Finds, Sudoku, Crosswords. The hospitals prefer puzzle books with LARGE PRINT whereas the troops will take eitherl The puzzle books provide mental acuity activitees for the troops in the hospital, as well as pass the long hours of boredom during a llengthy hospital stay often far from home. The troops enjoy the puzzle books for mental stimulation, to fill many empty hours, and to help to stay alert during night watches. The books can be any size and can be purchased least expensively at dollar stores throughout the area. They can be donated at the colleection boxes at our office at 688, rt. 9 in Latham or at the Halfmoon Town Hall during business hours. There is also a drop box at Print Production on Fire Rd in Clifton Park, just before the Northway exit 9 North ramp. You can also donate them during our business hours on Mondays from 1-4pm at 688 rte. 9, 200 ft. North of Bella Napoli in Latham at a mini-mall on the left side of rte. 9 between Vintage Pizza and Dunyea Market. If you are to leave the puzzle books in our drop boxes, please place them in a bag so that they will be separated from the paperback books We would love to have schools or large companies consider a Puzzle Book Drive for Books for Troops so that we can have a well needed, large in a quantity donated.. All it takes to have a Puzzle Book Drive is a large group of donors,(as in a large company or a school), a drop box or area to leave the donated books and a brief letter or memo saying that you are doing this drive and giving the specifics: dates of drive, where books can be dropped, purpose of the drive. This can easily done by a memo to employees or by sending fliers home with school children. If you are willing to do such a drive, you can contact me at [email protected] with any questions or guidance. We literally go through thousands of puzzle books a year, especially for the VA hospitals, so the books continually need to be replenished. Since they are included in our boxes of books, their postage is already covered. This is an easy and inexpensive an easy way to tell our troops that we are grateful for their service and to remind them that we care. Thank you, as always for your support. Ellen Keegan
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR
Books for Troops would like to thank all the donors of both postage money and books, as well as all the companies who donated their services of printing, recycling, tax preparation, extra storage space, our beautiful office and fundraising to give us our most successful year since its beginnings in 2010. In the year 2018-2019, Books for Troops was able to send 660 boxes of books, (pproimately 7,550 books) as well as puzzle books, comics, Books on Tape and DVD's to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, South Korea, PuertoRico, South Africa and Germany, in other words to all places around the world where we have deployed troops either involved in fighting our enemies, protecting our interests or performing humanitarian work. In addition, we send books to the American Red Cross to use as they see fit. We have added ten more VA hospitals to the 21 we had already been serving, including the VA hospital in Landstuhl, Germany where are most wounded troops are brought directly from the field. Because of donations from two women's groups we were also able to include in our boxes over 100 neck scarves, as well as 100 large bags of Halloween candy donated for the second year by the students of Forts Ferry School and Latham Ridge School, both in Latham, NY. As a result of our drive for additional items, we also were able to include many of the extra items that the troops requested. At Christmas time, due to additional generous donations, we were able to send 20 sets of sweatshirts and pants to those wounded troops in Germany who often arrive straight from the field in only their hospital gowns.
We continue to receive countless letter of gratitude and appreciation, from the troops, their commanders and their families letting us know what these care boxes of books, etc mean to the troops. Many of the troops boast of their makeshift libraries where they can share the books with each other and with other troops. Many of these books travel from troop to troop and even from country to country. Other are sent to USO's buy the troops themselves. Best of all all these boxes send the troops the message that those back home appreciate their sacrifices and remember them with care, pride and gratitude. It is very important to them to know this as it is a great morale booster. One soldier said in his e-mail, that when he receives a box from up, it feels like Christmas Day.
Books for Troops continues to need all that you have donated in books, puzzle books, books on tape, DVD's. and most importantly, postage money to keep our organization alive; an organization that means so much to the troops. This items go very quickly and have to be constantly replenished so please to continue to support us so generously. From our first shipment of 8 boxes of books, packed in my garage by 4 neighbors in 2010, Books for Troops has grown into an international program, shipping 50+ boxes per month because of the thousands of those who believe in the power of books to heal. We have adopted from the ancient Greeks, their inscription found on their library in Thebes, "Books, Medicine for the mind." The troops have told us over and over again that this medicine has cured many restless nights, feelings of fear, homesickness and loneliness, and most importanlty given them a chance to escape from the horrors they face. Let's keep giving our troops large doses of this "Medicine for the Mind." It truly makes a difference to their quality of life. Thank you Ellen Keegan, Director
[email protected]
Books for Troops would like to thank all the donors of both postage money and books, as well as all the companies who donated their services of printing, recycling, tax preparation, extra storage space, our beautiful office and fundraising to give us our most successful year since its beginnings in 2010. In the year 2018-2019, Books for Troops was able to send 660 boxes of books, (pproimately 7,550 books) as well as puzzle books, comics, Books on Tape and DVD's to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, South Korea, PuertoRico, South Africa and Germany, in other words to all places around the world where we have deployed troops either involved in fighting our enemies, protecting our interests or performing humanitarian work. In addition, we send books to the American Red Cross to use as they see fit. We have added ten more VA hospitals to the 21 we had already been serving, including the VA hospital in Landstuhl, Germany where are most wounded troops are brought directly from the field. Because of donations from two women's groups we were also able to include in our boxes over 100 neck scarves, as well as 100 large bags of Halloween candy donated for the second year by the students of Forts Ferry School and Latham Ridge School, both in Latham, NY. As a result of our drive for additional items, we also were able to include many of the extra items that the troops requested. At Christmas time, due to additional generous donations, we were able to send 20 sets of sweatshirts and pants to those wounded troops in Germany who often arrive straight from the field in only their hospital gowns.
We continue to receive countless letter of gratitude and appreciation, from the troops, their commanders and their families letting us know what these care boxes of books, etc mean to the troops. Many of the troops boast of their makeshift libraries where they can share the books with each other and with other troops. Many of these books travel from troop to troop and even from country to country. Other are sent to USO's buy the troops themselves. Best of all all these boxes send the troops the message that those back home appreciate their sacrifices and remember them with care, pride and gratitude. It is very important to them to know this as it is a great morale booster. One soldier said in his e-mail, that when he receives a box from up, it feels like Christmas Day.
Books for Troops continues to need all that you have donated in books, puzzle books, books on tape, DVD's. and most importantly, postage money to keep our organization alive; an organization that means so much to the troops. This items go very quickly and have to be constantly replenished so please to continue to support us so generously. From our first shipment of 8 boxes of books, packed in my garage by 4 neighbors in 2010, Books for Troops has grown into an international program, shipping 50+ boxes per month because of the thousands of those who believe in the power of books to heal. We have adopted from the ancient Greeks, their inscription found on their library in Thebes, "Books, Medicine for the mind." The troops have told us over and over again that this medicine has cured many restless nights, feelings of fear, homesickness and loneliness, and most importanlty given them a chance to escape from the horrors they face. Let's keep giving our troops large doses of this "Medicine for the Mind." It truly makes a difference to their quality of life. Thank you Ellen Keegan, Director
[email protected]