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Carol Stream presents $2,000 check to Operation Support Our Troops; VFW donates additional $200
Summary
Mayor Severino presented a $2,000 donation from the community to Operation Support Our Troops; the Carol Stream VFW added $200. The organization described its care-package, veteran-assistance and bereavement programs and reported it has shipped more than 2.3 million pounds of items to deployed service members.
The Village of Carol Stream presented a $2,000 donation to Operation Support Our Troops, and the Carol Stream VFW donated $200 during the village board meeting.
Mayor Severino introduced the presentation and said the community—s summer concert proceeds and a 50/50 raffle are used to raise money for the organization. "They have sent over 2,300,000 pounds of items to our service members," the mayor said at the meeting, summarizing the organization—s work on care packages that include snacks, personal items, cards and letters.
Bill Knecht, identified at the meeting as the Operation Support Our Troops representative, said the group began in 2003 when a mother started sending packages to her sons in Afghanistan and has since expanded. Knecht described programs that include an annual Leap of Faith event for families who lost a loved one serving the country and a veteran assistance fund for expenses such as housing or car repairs when service members return home. Knecht thanked the village for the donation.
Mayor Severino said the village previously ran food drives but now raises cash because shipping costs for care packages are significant and cash donations help cover those costs. The mayor and trustees posed for photos with the organization—s representative during the presentation.
No formal action beyond the presentation was recorded; trustees and residents praised the organization—s work and thanked volunteers.
