Keystone's Collection Drive for the Troops

Our collection drive for the troops has come to a close. We have been overwhelmed by the response, and would like to take a moment to thank everyone who participated and donated. Special thanks to the administrators, teachers, and students of Hendersonville Christian Academy, who collected donations as well as serving as a drop-off center.

Our blog has some photos of the donations assembled for delivery, and you can see them here and here.

Thanks again, and stay tuned for an update (with photos) from the troops themselves!

Click here to read the article about our effort that recently appeared in The Tennessean (Nov. 16, 2007)

Like many of you, several of us here at the Keystone office have friends or family in the military. And while we all pray for our troops and keep them in our hearts, there are some of their needs that we can meet in a very tangible way. One of Eric's good friends, a Major in the National Guard, has mentioned the regular need for the comforts of home. These are the little things that we here at home often take for granted, and they can go quite a long way toward lifting the morale and spirits of our soldiers.

So we've been inspired. Below you'll find a list of the kinds of things we're talking about that can ease a soldier's mind and remind them of home. For the next several weeks, we'll be collecting these items in a giant box in our office (hopefully we'll collect so much that we need several giant boxes). And we'd like you to help.

If you see something on the list that you can provide, either by donation or by purchasing it directly, we're asking you to either bring the item by our office to add to the collection or even just let us know you wish to participate and we'll come by and pick it up. We know you're busy, so if you want to contribute but don't have the time to go shopping, we'll also collect funds and go on a "shopping spree for the troops" on your behalf.

We'll box up everything we collect and ship it over to the Major's Battalion for them to enjoy. (As requested, we'll cushion the contents of the boxes with recent newspaper sports pages, which the soldiers enjoy reading after the package is open). He's even agreed to give us a report on how the items have been used. We'll be sure to send out one of our KeyNote e-newsletters with the update from Iraq so you can all share in the enjoyment of the gift of giving.

It's easy to let the details of our day keep us from remembering that we have soldiers overseas risking their lives. Most of the items below can pretty easily be added to a weekly shopping list, and every little bit can go a long way. Hopefully together we can make a big difference in the lives of these troops just by sending along some of the little comforts of home.

Please feel free to email us if you have questions or ideas on how you might help in our collection drive.

Here's the list:

• International Phone Cards
• Playing Cards & Chips
• Batteries (AA/AAA ONLY)
• Nerf Balls
• Movies (DVD's)
• Twin Sheet sets
• SEC football stuff (Especially with this battalion, I.E. UT)
• Pillows
• NASCAR stuff
• Towels/ Wash clothes
• Gloves & Baseballs (They really need baseballs)
• Blankets
• Frisbee
• Stress Balls
• Body Wash /Soap
• Game System Games (Xbox, Playstation, etc.)
• Body/Foot Powder
• USB thumb/Jump drives
• Baby Powder (Including Gold Bond)
• Shaving Cream (non-aerosol)
• Puzzle books (SODUKU, CROSSWORD)
• Reading material
• Q-tips/Cotton Balls
• Moist wipes/Clorox wipes
• Pens (black ink)
• Eye Drops/Eye Wash
• Blank CD's/DVD's
• Aspirin/Tylenol/Motrin
• Antacids/Diarrhea meds. (The soldiers have a LTD #)
• Powered Drinks (single serving) (CRYSTAL LITE)
• Crackers & Easy cheese
• Coffee/Cold tea bags/Hot Chocolate (BIG TIN OF COFFEE)
• Chex & Trail Mix
• Slim Jim's
• Beef Jerky
• Cookies
• Snack Crackers
• Nuts
• Breakfast Bars/Pop tarts
• Snack size Fruit /Pudding cups
• Granola/Power Bars
• Salsa, Dry
• Individual Chips (snack size & Pringles)
• Sunflower seeds
• Hard candy/Gum (GUMMIES/GUM )
• Sugar & sweet-n-low (individuals) (SPLENDA)
• Peanut Butter/Jelly
• Dried Fruit
• Movie theater candy boxes (the troops love these!)
• 2 pronged electrical cords
• Copies of sports magazines or magazines worth reading (can be previous month)