P/NW BOCES Staff Sends Care Packages to Soldiers Overseas

A touch of the familiar. A message of comfort.  That’s what United for the Troops aims to provide American soldiers deployed far from home. On Saturday morning, a large group of Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES employees showed up at the Yorktown campus to help the organization pack up 70 boxes of personal care items, edible treats and personal messages. 

For the past month, BOCES employees have donated items ranging from candy and granola bars to eye drops and moisturizer. On Saturday, tables were piled high with their generous contributions, and volunteers set to work, packing items into tightly sealed plastic bags and then into sturdy cardboard boxes.

At a nearby table, children, teens and adults wrote out handmade cards to be included in the boxes. “The cards are the items we hear about first from the soldiers,” said United for the Troops founder Jim Rathschmidt. 

Rathschmidt and his wife Pat founded United for the Troops after their son Luke was deployed to Iraq. The couple realized how much Luke and his fellow soldiers missed basic comfort items from home, and learned that many men and women in the service never receive care packages.

“The BOCES event was great,” said Rathschmidt. “It doesn’t matter how many people show up or how much is donated, there is always a magical connection at these events.” 

According to Rathschmidt, the boxes packed on Saturday were destined for Afghanistan and should arrive in the next few weeks.