November 21, 2017 at 4:39 p.m.
Peoples State Bank helps Military Support Group send care packages to troops deployed overseas
Peoples State Bank helps Military Support Group send care packages to troops deployed overseas
By Kayla Thomason-
The northern branches of the bank, located in Eagle River, Rhinelander, Minocqua and Wausau, collected 7,300 items and $575 in donations for the drive.
Items ranged from candy to snacks, socks, playing cards, blankets, hats, hygiene products and more. The donations were presented to Military Support Group representatives Monday morning.
"The comfort items and the snacks, (the troops) love them," said Cheryl Zastrow, volunteer and wife of the group's late co-founder, Ray Zastrow. "Some of these things they can't get at the commissary and they need them. They need them and that was always Ray's feeling, too."
Cheryl Zastrow said she knows the boxes bring needed cheer to the soldiers.
"Whoever gets the packages is the most popular guy around because he passes them out and shares," she said with a smile.
The support group volunteers were touched by the volume of donations collected by Peoples State Bank customers.
"We are overwhelmed," said Shirley Eades, another volunteer with the support group.
LeRoy Eades, co-founder of the Military Support Group, was moved beyond words.
"There are no words for it," he said.
This is the largest donation the group has received and this is the first time Peoples State Bank has specifically held a drive for the group.
Craig Lau, vice president at Peoples State Bank, was impressed and grateful for the community's support of the project.
"It's pretty incredible when you get 7,300 items and $575 in cash," he said, adding that he hopes to hold a drive with the support group again in the future and possibly make it an annual event.
"The Rhinelander Military Support Group has done an outstanding job," he said.
Lau knows firsthand what it's like to be a soldier overseas and receive a package from the Military Support Group. He said he received care packages while he was deployed to Iraq in 2003-2007 with the Wisconsin Army National Guard.
"Getting those gifts from overseas back then was a gift from God," Lau said. "It just made our days because they were long and lonely sometimes."
It was a nice boost to get some goodies from home.
"It's absolutely incredible, especially during the beginning of the invasion of Iraq we basically had nothing. Cold food and cold showers kind of was our norm for the start and getting these gifts from our support group was incredible," he recalled.
The support group volunteers organize the items into piles and place them in boxes. They can typically fit 30 to 35 items in each box - stuffing them completely.
Eades, Zastrow and Max Meyers are the ones who typically pack the boxes.
The items donated to the support group will be shipped to soldiers in Kuwait.
The support group needs names of others area soldiers who would like to receive packages. If they can't get names of local soldiers, packages will go to other Wisconsin soldiers and troops from other states.
The volunteers are hoping to send the boxes before Christmas.
This is the first boxing and send-off since Ray Zastrow passed away in September, and the volunteers and his wife are keeping him in their thoughts.
To have packages sent to area soldiers, call 715-360-0433.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.