City Asking For Donations For Single Soldiers Returning From Deployment

The reunions between soldiers returning from deployment and their families provide pictures of pure joy.

What those pictures may not show are the other soldiers, the ones without wives or husbands or children or girlfriends or boyfriends waiting for them.

That's why the City of Lakewood is asking residents to help by donating toiletries and snack food for single soldiers returning from deployment. The city's adopted brigade from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the 4-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team is six months into a nine-month deployment.

A number of those troops have started to return, many of them single.

The city is asking the public to donate male and female toiletries:

• shampoo
• shower gel
• shaving cream
• razors
• toothbrushes
• toothpaste
• deodorant

It also is asking for donations of non-perishable items:

• snack foods
• water
• sports drinks
• laundry detergent/dryer sheet combos

Family readiness groups from the brigade will place the donations in the barracks before the soldiers return. 

Residents can deliver donations to Lakewood City Hall (3rd floor counter) or the Lakewood Police Department, 9401 Lakewood Dr SW, from now through the end of June.

Alternatively, the public can donate online to the non-profit Dragoon Raiders Soldier and Family Fund for this purpose: http://www.42drsff.org/. For additional information, call 253-983-7761.