FedEx Volunteers Packing Loads of Troop Love

It’s no secret, at Troopathon our volunteers are at the heart of our success! Our secret sauce as it were. Every week we see top-notch volunteers showing up to help ensure mission success.

It takes dedication, logistical coordination and sweat, but thanks to friends like Sead, Rosie and the entire volunteer crew from FedEx Headquarters in Sacramento, we were able to pack and ship hundreds of boxes during a recent packing event leading up to our 4th of July week shipment to our troops.

As simple as it may sound, assembling, packing, labeling, and loading countless care packages takes a huge effort. We simply could not keep up with the daily requests for care packages from our troops without the assistance of our volunteer army like the Fed Ex crew. According to Sead, the Assistant Service Center Manager for Fed Ex freight out of Sacramento, they are happy to pitch in and look forward to doing it again. “Thank you for having us. We are looking forward to Decembers Christmas Packing Party event.”

Scott Raab, our Director of Operations, said "I am so thankful for the amazing support Fedex supplies, from delivering all the cookies to packing up all the boxes, they are incredible!"

Scott had his daughter with him the day of the FedEx packing party and she brought lots of big smiles of encouragement to the Fed Ex volunteers. “The dedication of Sead and his team at our Operations Center made this event truly special. My daughter was thrilled to meet everyone, and the Fed Ex’s team energy brought joy to the day.” shared Scott. Thanks again to our recent volunteers from FedEx, comprised of leadership, management and supervisors for FedEx freight, office, and ground in our region.

Operation Thin Mint Donates Girl Scout Cookies

Thanks to a massive donation of thousands of cases of Girl Scout Cookies by Girl Scouts San Diego through their Operation Thin Mint program, our care packages will continue featuring scrumptious Girl Scout Cookies for our troops.

Operation Thin Mint℠ (OTM) is a local Girl Scout service project that originated in San Diego in 2002 to provide the military with ‘a taste of home’ from the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Since then, our Girl Scouts and their generous customers have sent more than 4.3 million packages of donated Girl Scout Cookies to support veterans and military servicemembers stationed across the globe. Luckily for Troopathon, we benefit by receiving a generous portion of their OTM cookies yearly. Girl Scouts San Diego has been partnering with Troopathon since 2017.

According to Heather Merrill, Product Program Manager of Girl Scouts San Diego, “Girl Scouts in San Diego and Imperial counties collect donations of cookie packages during the Girl Scout Cookie Program to support Operation Thin Mint. Girl Scouts San Diego then provides the cookies to our partners.”

Troopathon care packages with the much-coveted cookies including perennial favorites like Thin Mints, Trefoils, Peanut Butter Patties and Peanut Butter Sandwich, refreshingly tangy Lemonades, Caramel deLites, and more will greet our delighted troops when they open a Troopathon care package while supplies last.

Heather went on to add, “It is inspiring to see the support from San Diego and Imperial County communities for our military servicemembers. Many of our Girl Scouts have friends and family that have been deployed overseas, so it is extra special to contribute to Troopathon’s care packages and know we’re giving them a small taste of home.”

Girl Scouts San Diego’s CEO Carol Dedrich began her career as a Patriot Missile Officer in the U.S. Army and is a veteran of Desert Shield and Desert Storm, so it’s easy to see their commitment to troop support starts at the top, and thanks to OTM, we can continue providing our troops with a hug from home with each of our care packages.

Imagine the big grins on the faces of our troops when returning from a tough day of demanding work far from home to find a care package waiting for them at mail call. Better yet, a heartfelt note to read while they pass around a box of Girl Scout Cookies they just received in their Troopathon care package from one of our great sponsors like you.

Raising the Bar on Troop Nutrition

We’re raising the bar on troop satisfaction with nutritionally dense snack bars to keep our troops fueled and mission ready. Troopathon care packages feature a delicious mix of portable, easy to eat bars that offer the protein, carbs and nutrients our hard-working troops deserve.

With brands like Lara Bars, RXBAR, Builder, Quest, Kind and Clif Bar, our troops are sure to find something to tackle their hunger and satisfy their taste buds with snacks they can eat on the go without weighing down their packs or their stomachs.

Maximize Your Tax Efficiency and Good Deeds

Did you know Troopathon offers giving abilities beyond our care package program? Troopathon offers our donors the opportunity to give utilizing several different gifting opportunities such as legacy giving through estate planning where you can name Troopathon as a beneficiary. We have partnered with FreeWill, a free online estate planning tool that guides you through creating your will or trust.

It’s easy to use and in just 20 minutes you can update your estate plan. You can use this resource on its own or use it to document your wishes before finalizing your plans with an attorney. While creating your plan, you can include a planned gift to Troopathon to support the men and women of our Armed Forces. Get started today!

Don’t worry, if you have already included a Troopathon gift in your will on your own, you can easily let us know by filling out this quick form so we can thank you for your legacy of and ensure our records are up-to-date!

Donating stocks allows you to avoid capital gains tax and often take a charitable deduction for the full value of the asset. Try this secure stock donation tool to make it easier than ever.

If you need to reduce your taxable income, a Qualified Charitable Donation (QCD) for our friends who are 70.5 or older. For those of you older than seventy-three and facing a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRA, a charitable gift donation is a simple and straightforward way to receive the best tax benefit for you. Try our secure IRA donation tool to make it easier than ever to give from your IRA. It only takes minutes to complete it and will auto complete your paperwork for you.

Into cryptocurrency? We now accept donations of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies! This gives us one more way to fund our work and can provide you with extra tax benefits.

Give cryptocurrency now

We even make it easy to give from your Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs). DAFs are investment accounts created with the sole purpose of supporting charitable organizations like Troopathon. If you have a DAF, you can use this secure DAF-giving tool to make your impact today.

August Photo of the Month

“A care package is a boost of encouragement, a touch of home, and a heartfelt thank you all wrapped into one.” Eric V. on behalf of USN crew member Ryan S., deployed