By Carol Ann Gregg

Allied News Staff Writer

It began with one family, one package and one airman serving in Afghanistan, but has turned into a much larger operation: Operation Care Package.

As Terri Basham was pulling together things for her son’s Christmas package, she asked her husband, Herb, principal at Slippery Rock Area Elementary School, if he thought that the kids in the school could make cards for soldiers that don’t get things. She thought maybe the teachers could make cookies, as well.

Mr. Basham talked to the teachers about the cards and cookies at a staff meeting. Substitute teacher Stephanie Sprowles was at the meeting and explained that there is a long list of things that the servicemen need when they are deployed. Her fiancé, who is serving in the U.S. Air Force, will be re-deployed in the spring. His date of deployment and destination has not be determined.

Suzan Graham, a substitute aide who also works in the building, and Sprowles’ mom, Bea Sprowles, helped out with the sorting and packing as the time for shipping drew near.

Mrs. Basham saw her one box grow into 40 flat rate boxes lined up in the lobby of the elementary school.

“The response was phenomenal,” she said. Students, teachers and parents all contributed.

Her son, Bryan Sinkus, is serving with the U.S. Air Force in Afghanistan. The boxes packed by the school will go to his unit.

Just a few of the things in the boxes include: cookies, candy, chips, other snacks, razors, an unbreakable mirror, waterless soap, lotion, lip balm and enough other things to fill each box. Some were designated specifically for the women serving there.

Students from Slippery Rock University who are doing their student teaching at the elementary school, went back to campus and talked about Operation Care Package. As a result, SRU students, staff and faculty sent out 148 care boxes to be distributed to those serving abroad.

“This isn’t going to be a one-time thing,” Mrs. Basham said. “We plan to send cards at Valentine’s Day and then pack boxes like these in March and June. They will need specific things to fight fleas and to deal with the heat.”

“For Memorial Day, we want to make pan cookies and have someone decorate them,” Mrs. Basham said. “The pans will be numbered. When the pans are put out in order in their mess hall, they will form a flag.”

“I plan to write a letter to the president asking that postage be free for efforts like this,” she said. “Think of what we could do, if we didn’t have to spend the money on postage.”