The Syosset Council of PTA’s School and Community Committee recently sponsored a collection drive for the non-profit organization called Operation Interdependence (OI) for soldiers stationed overseas. The goal of Operation Interdependence is to provide each of the nearly 325,000 deployed troops around the world with something from home every month during their entire deployment.
They provide a “Civilian Ration” (called C-rat) for delivery to the frontlines. C-Rats are individual quart-sized baggies that contain a personal note from a caring civilian and a few treats such as single-serving packets of instant oatmeal, drink mixes, cookies, crackers, gum and granola bars, etc. And, in the spirit of “no one left behind,” enough C-rats are sent so that at mail call everyone in that unit gets a package.
For many soldiers, it’s the only communication from home they receive. The School & Community Committee sponsored the collection drive and was very successful. The drive yielded nine boxes of food items weighing 230 pounds, and more than 500 letters of thanks to the soldiers. These items were shipped to OI in Colorado, and in turn, shipped overseas to more than 2,000 soldiers. Operation Interdependence thanked the Syosset School District for their donations.
“The notes were absolutely wonderful,” said Karon Carley, president of Operation Interdependence. “Some of the kids put in a lot of time into their designs. Thank you and all the people there that helped. FYI – there was one note that really got me tickled and I’m sure the deployed person that receives the package of nuts with the note attached will certainly enjoy it. The note read, ‘From all the nuts in New York, we love (in the shape of a heart) all our military’.”
The School and Community Committee would like to thank everyone for their generous donations and heart-felt letters of thanks to the soldiers. We would especially like to thank Best Way Tools in Deer Park for funding the shipping costs of the collected items to Operation Interdependence in Colorado.
