The effort to send care packages to troops with Whatcom County connections was begun in late 2003. A fund raiser put on by Amanda Hostetler of KGMI radio provided the funds for material and shipping costs. In the spring of 2004,  Whatcom Homefront was organized as a nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing a continuing message of support to our local troops and to provide an avenue for people in the community who desire to send  good wishes and appreciation.

We are an all volunteer organization and all monetary donations are applied to the costs of getting these care packages put together and sent. We accept donations of items to put into the boxes but ask that you contact us first to find out what we need as there are restrictions and guidelines that we must follow. The cost of sending the boxes varies with the size of the boxes. Sometimes we send small priority mail boxes that cost about $9 per box (not including contents), sometimes we send very big apple boxes which may cost around $30 per box (not including contents). We have sent as many as 85 boxes and as few as 23 in a given packing. The number of boxes we send varies as troops rotate in and out.

These boxes are appreciated by the troops who receive them and occasionally they write to let us know that it makes them feel good to know our community appreciates their service. Family members are invited to pack these boxes which gives them an opportunity to meet other people in the community who also have loved ones deployed to a war zone. Having a family member deployed can be a very stressful experience which is often only understood by others who are sharing the same experience.

 

If you know the name of a deployed troop with a connection to Whatcom County and think he/she would like to get a positive message from the community contact us.

We need:  (We do not give information to anyone without permission)

    1.  Name of the troop

    2.  Military Address             

    3.  A local contact person so that we can check on the serviceperson's status.

 

If you would like to donate material for the boxes please write to us (whatcommilitary@yahoo.com )and we will give you a list of the things that we send.

 

We love to include cards and letters from children and put them in the boxes. We have no political or religious affiliation and we screen all cards and letters for content so please keep the message upbeat and noncontroversial.

 

If you would like to help with the cost of shipping these support boxes send a donation to:

Whatcom Homefront
P.O.Box 32328
Bellingham, WA 98228-4328

 

Whatcom Homefront is a nonprofit organization which has 501-C-3 status and can provide receipts for donations.