Local Veterans Group Seeks Donations

The Santa Barbara Veterans Memorial Building, located on 112 W Cabrillo Blvd, is hosting a donation drive for 75 Santa Barbara area Army reservists currently in Iraq and Afghanistan. The soldiers serve in the 425th Civil Affairs battalion, which is a unit often attached to combat units to help manage the infrastructure of the immediate area of operation. The unit’s motto is “Win the Peace,” and it strives to achieve this by building soccer fields and playgrounds, repairing sewer lines, and various other tasks all with the ultimate goal of befriending and assisting the local population.

The group is asking for donations of hard candy, sunscreen, microwaveable foods, and personal hygiene products to fill enough boxes for each of the troops, 15 of which are women. The boxes are the standard-sized flat-rate priority boxes available at the Post Office so most anything that would safely fit into these boxes is welcome. Those gathering the items especially need unisex items like boots socks, foot powder, and chap stick. Cards to the soldiers are welcomed and encouraged. Ty Warner recently donated a beanie baby for each box.

Items that cannot be accepted for donation are aerosol cans, pork products, and religious items.

Donations are accepted at the building from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until November 15, for more information call 568-0020.