11/10/04

Supplies help troops' families
By Kelly Scott
St. Cloud Times

Photo by: Kimm Anderson Jerry Knoll (left) and Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Saunders guide a load of water, tea, beef snacks, dish soap and other items Tuesday as they unload a semitrailer outside the St. Cloud Armory

Operation Interdependence, a group that helps collect donations for military troops, is looking for donations. Some of the items most needed in Minnesota include quart-sized plastic bags and boxes. If you are willing to donate, contact area coordinator Ron Chaffee at (760) 468-4919.

For other ways to donate, visit the group's Web site at www.oidelivers.org.

More than 10,000 pounds of food, bottled water and other household items were donated to the St. Cloud Armory to help military families.

The products delivered Tuesday came to the armory through Operation Interdependence, a nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting civilian rations for soldiers serving overseas.

Most were donations that came from trade shows, such as a convenience store convention in Las Vegas, said Ron Chaffee, area coordinator.

The donations, which include things such as dish soap and a cereal-in-a-can product, will be given to the families of the U.S. Army Reserve's 367th Engineer Battalion, said Jerry Noll, staff operations and training specialist for the 367th.

"This is really special," Noll said.

The battalion's headquarters are in St. Cloud, and the group is serving in Afghanistan. Noll said the products will be divided among more than 500 families.

Operation Interdependence collects items that can be sent to soldiers overseas, but it was able to donate these items to families because they wouldn't ship well, Chaffee said.

The group uses quart-sized plastic bags to package items, such as toothpaste or gum, for soldiers. The packages are then shipped to soldiers.

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