"Pride
Packages"
C/O Pat Garlick
903 West North First St.
Shelbyville, IL 62565
For monetary donations,
checks can be made payable to:
"Pride Packages"
C/O Pat Garlick
Community Banks of Shelby County Shelbyville Facility
Route 16 Shelbyville, IL 62565
Pride Packages is NOT an 501(c)
3 organization and your donation is not approved for a tax deduction,
but a "GIFT FROM THE HEART" 100% of monetary donations go toward
the cost of postage required to send the packages through the
U.S. Postal Service, and the cost of supplies to be shipped. "Pride
Packages" is funded entirely by private donations and staffed
exclusively by volunteers.
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Your Visitor
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E-mail
Us @ patspridepackages@yahoo.com
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What
is Pride Packages?
Touched by Pat's Marine son's plea for
his fellow comrades that were not receiving packages in Iraq,
Pat Garlick decided that the least she could do to help our service
people would be to support our U.S. troops abroad and provide
what would become know as "Pride Packages."
Inside each package will include a personal note as well as daily
devotions and an e-mail address where the service people can contact
her with any special needs that they may have while they are deployed.
Pat writes to her Marine
son everyday and she knows how important mail and packages are
to him. Her son says that you never get enough mail and packages
from home.
Pat has written numerous
letters to Marines that were not getting mail and sent packages
to Marines that were not getting packages. It breaks my heart
when I hear that our sons and daughters are fighting in a war
thousands of miles away and they aren't receiving letters of support
or packages from back home. As long as the war continues, I will
send "Pride Packages" till all our service people are back home
from being deployed abroad.
Even though a package may
be addressed to one soldier, the items may be shared and end up
helping a handful of soldiers.
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News & Updates
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Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Proud To Serve Those Who Serve Us
by Frank Mulholland / Managing Editor
Perhaps you missed the recent article about Pat and Eric Garlick and their Pride Packages Project that appeared in the Shelbyville Daily Union (See Monday, March 5)
For those who may not be familiar with this project, the Garlicks work tirelessly sending packages to military personnel who do not normally receive such gifts. The packages contain items that many of us may take for granted, but can be very special if you are in a combat zone. Simple little items such as new socks, microwave popcorn, or Girl Scout Cookies can not only feel or taste good, they can flood your mind with warm memories of home.
Pat started this project back in April 2005. Thus far the Garlicks have sent 380 of these packages. The cost of postage alone is $8.10 for each package. Pat estimates it costs about $20-$25 for the items inside the package. Simple math will tell you that so far this project has cost of over $10,000.
You might ask how do the Garlicks do this? Well, the Garlicks hold garage sales in their own garage to raise funds. Pat Garlick speaks at any organization that invites her to bring awareness and possible donations. The entire family helps with the packing, addressing, and garage sales.
The idea behind this project came when their son Evan Garlick, a Marine was stationed in Iraq. Evan wrote his mother talking about how much packages from home can mean in a unfamiliar, frightening situation like Iraq. Just in passing Evan also wrote about all the young military personnel stationed in Iraq who don't receive mail or packages from home.
That idea that Americans were serving their country in a strange hostile environment and did not receive packages from home, touched Pat's heart. Her slogan for the project is "Proud To Serve Those Who Serve Us."
In every package, Pat takes the time to include a personal note and what she calls daily devotions. She also includes her e-mail address and hears back from many of the soldiers and Marines. Pat has stated she will continue to send these packages until all of our service personnel are home for good.
Back here in Shelbyville we are constantly bombarded with news from the war front. Most of the news we hear is bad and consequently many people oppose the war. I personally have some strong misgivings about the situation. However, the facts are those are our sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, people we love and worry about. I am not pushing the idea that if you don't support the war, then you don't support the troops. That is propaganda from the Bush administration. However, I am suggesting that we support anything we can do here at home that makes our troops in a combat zone more comfortable.
The Garlick's project is something the entire community, for that matter, the entire county should be supporting. Whether you are a business like County Market who has generously donated to this project or an individual who has time or money they can devote to this project, we all need to stand up and be counted.
The Pride Packages project is a winner on so many levels. The packages will brighten up some lonely soldier's day, the people working on the project will have a sense of charity, and by giving, our community will be a better place to live because of that generosity.
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Congressman
Shimkus Visits Pride Packages
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Operation
Ho Ho Ho Packing Photos
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Pride Packages Garage
Sale Fund Raiser
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Food Items
Granola bars
Oreos
Gum
Pop tarts
Nutri grain bars
Pringles
Starburst
Skittles
Powered gator aid
Presweetened kool aid
Breakfast bars
Chex mix
Nacho cheese dip in cans
Rice krispies treats
Small containers of Dinty Moore beef stew
Ravioli
Easy mac & cheese
Ramen noodles
Beef jerky
Pudding
Applesauce
Peaches
Pretzels
Fruit by the foot
Sunflower seeds
Summer sausage
Cheese
Crackers
Squeeze peanut butter
Squeeze jelly
Ketchup/mustard/relish packets
Hot sauce packets
Slim Jims
Non-Food Items
Batteries AA
Writing Tablets
Ink Pens
White Socks
Word Find Books
Crossword Puzzle Books DVD's (You can get $1 DVD's at Wal-Mart)
Hand Held Games Paperback Books Magazines (hunting, sports,
etc.)
Aqua Drops
Eyedrops
Wipes Without Alcohol
Foot Powder
Total Sent
1,037
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