Service, gratitude and generosity.
Those are the key traits embodied in the Watercrest Cares Collection Drive, said Kayla Ramos, Watercrest Spanish Springs resident lifestyle director.
The monthlong collection drive is part of a company-wide initiative in partnership with Operation Support Our Troops-America, a volunteer-based nonprofit for active-duty military personnel, veterans and their families.
Ramos said participation in the drive provides Watercrest residents and others in the community with a great way to start the new year by giving to those who sacrificed for the nation.
“We have a significant number of residents who were veterans,” Ramos said. “They have served in every branch of the military, so in that regard, it always hits close to home when they can give back.”
The drive, which aims to provide care packages to service members overseas and moral support cards to their families, will continue through Feb. 26, with drop-off being at Watercrest Spanish Springs, 930 Alvarez Ave., Lady Lake.
Items that will be accepted include Grüns superfood gummies, individual protein powder packets, individual packets of Carnation Breakfast Essentials drink mix powder, Emergen-C drink mix packets and individual packs of sugar.
Eligible nonfood items include small puzzle books, small notebooks or notepads, sandwich or snack-size baggies, nonaerosol men’s shaving cream or gel, flat air fresheners (cardboard only, no liquid), shoe odor eaters, shoe insoles, antacid, anti-itch cream and neosporin.
Linda Tuisl, Operation Support Our Troops-America executive director, said the Comfort and Care Package Program was born out of the desire to help active-duty military personnel save money on or get easier access to hygiene products or basic food items.
Since 2003, Operation Support Our Troops-America has sent over 2 million pounds of items packed in 20-pound boxes overseas through the program. Shipping restrictions limit the collection of aerosol products, glass containers and any pork products. Tuisl said the nonprofit was able to take the process of collecting donations and shipping them out to the next level after a Vietnam-era veteran donated a warehouse to the nonprofit. She said items collected during community drives have helped the nonprofit redirect money toward shipping costs.
“We currently have sent over 2.3 million pounds in donations,” she said. “We are quickly reaching 2.4 million.”
When the Watercrest Cares Collection Drive was announced, interested parties jumped on the opportunity to assist.
The Fortner Family Foundation was one of the first donations to the collection drive, with
$200 being donated from the private foundation based in Gainesville.
The foundation’s founder, Chris Fortner, said he was honored to be a part of the effort to help veterans.
Tuisl, who started as a volunteer at Operation Support Our Troops-America in 2011, said it’s the thank-yous and other positive feedback from those who have received care packages that motivates her to continue the work.
One letter received by the organization read, “I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for the care package I received. The happiness I felt while opening it was truly overwhelming. Every item reflected so much thought and care it really made my day. Please extend my deepest thanks to everyone who played a part in putting the package together. The hard work, time and kindness your team pours into each box means more than words can express.”
“We get a lot of letters like that,” Tuisl said. “This is what really melts our hearts because we can see what we are doing has struck a positive impact.”
A comprehensive list of priority items is available at osotamerica.org/comfort-and-care-package-program/products-needed.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
