Give2TheTroops receives Kudos from Top Government Official

FAIRFIELD, CT — An exciting new charitable organization headquartered in Fairfield, CT has received recognition from the Assistant Secretary of Defense Thomas O'Connell, second-in-command to Donald Rumsfeld. Give2TheTroops, Inc. was set up to provide moral support in the form of letters and much-needed supplies to American troops stationed abroad. Launched in December 2002, the organization has already sent over one thousand packages overseas, to benefit an estimated 30,000 military personnel.

Give2TheTroops recently incorporated in the State of Connecticut and elected a Board of Directors. President and Founder Andi M. Grant has worked tirelessly with a growing number of volunteers over the past nineteen months to set up the infrastructure which is now seeking charity status. The outpouring of support has come from many areas of the community, including many individuals who do not even know anyone in the military. The recent letter from the government commended Grant and the organization for the effort involved in setting up Give2TheTroops and maintaining the momentum.

The project began when in an effort to cope with her husband's deployment during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Grant started sending packages to troops. Sgt. Brian Grant, was deployed as a U.S. Marine as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Andi was worried about the troops and the morale of those who might not receive mail from home.

It was then that the Easter 2003 campaign began with a vengeance with a target of 1,000 filled Easter eggs to be shipped overseas. Various companies, community groups, and individuals helped by donating items such as plastic eggs, American flag pins, candy and money for shipping. In the end, boxes containing over 6,000 filled plastic and hand-painted eggs, cards and gifts were sent to Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. In 2004, over 7,600 Easter eggs were sent. Over the past year, the ongoing campaign has been to send as many packages as possible, containing non-perishable food, toiletries, and other sundries. The vision has expanded steadily since day one to include units stationed all over the world and the team now consistently sends out 80-100 packages a month.

The recent wave of support and recognition has ranged from local and national press to government agencies that all believe in the cause and want to help spread the word. The recognition from the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense will help the organization build more awareness, which will in turn lead to more donations to help more troops. For information on how to get involved, please see the website http://www.give2thetroops.org or call (203) 336-3006.

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