An area service club has collected more than a quarter of a million dollars worth of coupons to benefit the troops.
Members of the Jacksonville Sunrise Rotary Club notified area members, during a recent Rotary District Conference, that the Troopon campaign of collecting and distributing manufacturer’s coupons for US military families, reached a total of nearly $300,000 in donations in its first year.
The Troopon project was launched by the Jacksonville Sunrise Rotary Club on Veterans Day last year as a way to help US military troops and their families.
The club called on the local community to donate unused manufacturer’s coupons in drop boxes located in area retail establishments. The coupons are then sorted by category, including food, non-food, and baby supplies, and then shipped to Support Our Troops charity in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The sorted coupons are then distributed to members of the United States armed forces on U. S. military bases around the world. Collected coupons become Troopons, and are accepted in military base commissaries to aid families of serving members of the armed forces.
Club president and Troopon coordinator Jane Becker, announced to the club that the total raised for the campaign, as of Veteran’s Day this year, amounted to $299,751.71 in collected coupons.
Becker said the club just missed its first-year goal of $300,000.00 by less than $250. She said the first-year goal is important, but it’s more important that the community knows that this is an ongoing project.
Troopon collection boxes are available at The MBroidery Shop, Jacksonville AMVETS, Jacksonville County Market, Jacksonville Wal-Mart (at the service desk), Jacksonville VFW, Gordon Jumper CPA, PermaBound, Hamilton’s, House of Ink, and at Production Express.
Becker said on behalf of the Sunrise Rotary Club, she wishes to thank the community for its continued participation in this important service project.