Volunteers Prepare Care Packages For Ohio Soldiers

WBNS 10TV
BY STAFF

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Hundreds of volunteers helped create care packages on Sunday which will be sent out to Ohio soldiers serving overseas.

In the past six years, Operation Buckeye has packed about 20,000 care packages, 10TV's Maureen Kocot reported.

The organization makes the packages with generous donations and volunteers.

"They need to know that we're still thinking about them here at home and just to send them a little touch of love from home to help maybe give them a smile," said Edie James, a volunteer.

Every care package included an American flag and a buckeye, Kocot reported.

Operation Buckeye has now teamed up with Google For Veterans and Families, which is a Web portal that records video messages for troops and uploads them on YouTube.

U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers, who served overseas in 2004-05, said that the messages mean a lot to the troops.

"This will give our fighting forces over there a taste of home right when they probably miss home the most," Stivers said.

Officials with Operation Buckeye said they will fill another 3,000 packages up until Christmas.

The care packages are all delivered to a military chaplain, who then hands them out to Ohio soldiers who are not receiving mail.

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