Pastor,
Dr. David Foster

Gathering 4 Soldiers - Next Meeting

Monday, July 7, 7:00-8:30 PM

DONATIONS NEEDED FOR POSTAGE

Check the group's own website here.

Support the troops.

Who in this day and age hasn't heard that slogan somewhere? Who hasn't seen the yellow ribbons on doors and trees and on the back of SUVs? What exactly does supporting consist of, though? Some would think supporting the troops means supporting the war; others believe supporting the troops means ending the war and bringing the troops home.

We like to think supporting the troops means writing a card or letter of encouragement, support or humor or sending care packages containing the simplest of things to make a soldiers life a little easier or their surroundings a little more like home. By working together and sharing a common vision of service, the volunteers of Gathering 4 Soldiers will send care to deployed soldiers.

Check the very bottom of this page to see some letters received back from soldiers.

The Gathering 4 Soldiers team will meet the first Monday night of each month at River Plantation - Section 1 Clubhouse - 8207 Sawyer Brown Rd. in Bellevue from 7:00 until 8:30. Stacy Towery, who leads the team, will provide us with names of soldiers who need encouragement or special attention that month. We will each write notes, cards or letters to soldiers while at the meeting and Stacy will mail them for us. We look forward to getting to know each other and enjoying fellowship while Supporting the Troops!

Video Excerpts from AGathering4Soldiers Meeting

If you'd like more information, contact Stacy Towery 662-2484/email - stowery @ comcast.net

B ring
Y our
O wn
C ards

We will collect items at The Gathering every Sunday to be sent in our care packages. Please see the list below for items we will need and please, encourage everyone you know to bring one or more item to the information table every week you can. You may also support Gathering 4 Soldiers by making a monetary donation to help cover the cost of postage.

Care Package Ideas

 Food Items

 Toilet Articles

 Other Items
  • Home Made cookies or brownies
  • Beef Jerky
  • Instant Soups
  • Hard candy
  • Chocolate candy
  • Slim Jims
  • Cookies
  • Crackers
  • Chex Mix
  • Nuts
  • Trail Mix
  • Chips
  • Doritos
  • Salsa
  • Gum
  • Microwave Popcorn
  • Breath mints
  • Dried fruit
  • Canned fruit (pop tops)
  • Granola/cereal bars
  • Dry cereal
  • Tuna packs
  • Chicken packs
  • Spices, condiments
  • Summer sausage
  • Snack Cakes
  • Easy Mac and Cheese
  • Sunflower Seeds
  • Instant coffee
  • Hot chocolate mix
  • Tea bags
  • Gatorade powder
  • Kool aid (w/sugar)
  • Easy cheese
  • Pudding cups
  • Instant Oatmeal
  • Instant grits
  • Ramen noodles
  • Ragu Express
  • Juice Boxes
  • Flavored Creamers, low fat

 

 

 

 

 

 
  •  Sunscreen
  • Chapstick
  • Insect Repellant
  • Eye Drops
  • Cough/cold meds
  • Advil/Tylenol
  • Deodorant
  • Toothbrush
  • Toothpaste
  • Body wash
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Dental floss
  • Mouthwash
  • Bar soap
  • Laundry soap
  • Gel innersoles
  • Cotton balls
  • Q-tips
  • Contact lens cleaner
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Lotion
  • Cologne
  • Feminine hygiene
    products
  • Brush
  • Comb
  • Hairspray
  • Hair gel
  • Hairbands/clips
  • Nail clippers
  • Nail file
  • Nail polish
  • Body powder
  • Foot powder
  • Body lotion
  • Kleenex
  • Nasal Spray
  • Antacids
  • Socks
  • Undershirts
  • Underwear
  • Disposable razors
  • Shave gel/foam

 
  •  Antibacterial Wipes
  • Cooling bandanas
  • Clorox wipes
  • Plain black sunglasses
  • Sand scarf
  • Frisbee
  • Nerf balls, etc.
  • Beach toys
  • Beach balls
  • Electronic games
  • Playing cards
  • AT&T Phone cards
  • CD Player
  • CD's
  • DVD's
  • Books
  • Magazines
  • Water guns
  • Envelopes and paper
  • Sewing kits
  • Small mirror
  • Wash cloth
  • Towel
  • Small flashlight or
    book light
  • Disposable camera
  • Batteries
  • Zip lock bags
  • Word puzzles
  • Board games
  • Mister bottles
  • Plastic silverware
  • Blanket
  • Coffee Mugs
  • Silly String

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

·         Food items are by far the most popular requests

·         Soldiers LOVE to get home baked/made goodies! Brownies and chocolate chip cookies are favorites    

·         Canteens hold 1 quart.  If you send a 2 quart mix such as Crystal Light, you might want to send a jug too!

·         No pork or pork products, alcohol, pornography, or glass containers

·         No chocolate after May or before September. With temperatures reaching into the 130's and beyond, the chocolate wouldn't make it very far!

·         Don't forget plastic silverware with food items.

·         Put liquids and scented items in Zip Lock bags just in case!

·         If sending home made cookies or brownies, they must be individually wrapped and then placed in a zip lock bag to keep them as fresh as possible and to keep the sand out.

Letters Back From Soldiers

Greetings form dusty, muddy, sandy Iraq! Thank you so very much for the uplifting letter. I love getting letters from citizens back home showing their support for our cause… Thank you for supporting us and keep it up because that’s the motivation we need to get up every morning and keep going. God Bless You. SPC C. Hackey

I just wanted to take the time to say thank you for all that you have done for us, I in particular. I lack the words to express our heartfelt gratitude. It is touching to know that people other than our immediate families care and worry about us out here. I am most grateful…..We are doing all right and hoping to get home to our loved ones someday. Thank you for all you do and may God in his infinite mercy bless you. Sgt. S. Jackson

I just wanted to say thank you for your letter of support and your prayers. They mean everything to me. Doing what I am doing is made so much easier by people like you…. PFC C. Hackey

Thank you so much for the letter. It is so heart warming that you would take the time out of your schedules in order to make a few soldiers whom you have never met feel more at home. M. Morgan

Your card was well received. It made me feel closer to home. Unsigned

Thank you so much for the letter you have written me. The holidays around here are hard and people like you and your family definitely remind us why we do what we do. It’s the little things sometimes that make us soldiers smile and knowing that someone cares and worries about us and supports us definitely makes us feel special. Sgt. M. Stout

Thanks so much for the constant support and taking out time and consideration to write some soldier you don’t know. I am grateful to know there are people like you back home rooting and praying for us. Your package lifted my spirits and filled my belly. J I have never been to Tennessee before but with great Americans like you living there I may have to stop by and smell the roses sometime. J SPC T. Martell

If you'd like more information, contact Stacy Towery 662-2484/email - stowery @ comcast.net