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American troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan need help now, Veterans of Foreign Wars spokeswoman Alta Lee Futch said.
“Their needs grow greater every day,” she said.
VFW Post 6872 and Ladies Auxiliary can provide help with suggestions and ideas for those who would like to help and don’t know where to start.
Listed below are several community opportunities.
F Operation UpLink
Operation UpLink provides free prepaid phone cards to deployed troops and hospitalized veterans.
“The calls they make bring home and family closer,” Futch said. “Requests for cards continue to increase each month.”
Since Operation UpLink’s start in 1996, VFW has distributed approximately 8 million prepaid phone cards to troops and hospitalized veterans. Veterans at the Pepsi Bottling Group Foundation recently contributed thousands of minutes. The PBG Foundation made a $20,000 donation to Operation UpLink on behalf of the company’s more than 3,000 employees who are veterans.
Operation UpLink is funded equally by VFW and Ladies Auxiliary members and outside donors. Troops can request one card per person as often as every 60 days. The amount of time on each card varies by location, especially between domestic and international calls.
F Unmet needs
The VFW Foundation teams with Vermont American Power Tool Accessories to help meet unanticipated demands on service members’ families that can’t be remedied in a timely, effective manner through existing means.
The program was designed to help military families overcome the financial hurdles created by the extended deployment of a loved one. That might be helping with medical expenses, house repairs, car tires and rent or mortgage payment.
The unmet needs program is funded through corporate gifts, individual donations and contributions from VFW Post and Ladies Auxiliary members. A one-time grant for unmet needs could be up to $1,500 for qualifying service members and their families.
For information on how to help with either of these programs, call Jan Seaton at 817 645-2436 or visit www.vfw.com or www.ladiesauxvfw.org.
F Military Assistance Program, Adopt-A-Unit
The Military Assistance Program has helped fund farewell and welcome home gatherings for military units worldwide. A part of the MAP program is Adopt-a-Unit. VFW Post 6872 and Ladies Auxiliary are working with a unit deployed in Iraq. The unit includes a soldier from Crowley.
Brownie Girl Scout Troop 3455 in Joshua recently had its annual cookie sales and encouraged participation in the Girl Scout Troop-to-Troop Cookie Project. They chose to contribute the cookies from their troop to Tri-Cities VFW Post and Auxiliary’s adopted unit.
VFW Post 6872 and Ladies Auxiliary included the cookies in several shipments to the deployed unit and paid all postage expenses. Those wishing to contribute can call auxiliary veterans and family support chairwoman Bettye Ellis at 817-297-1648.
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