Best booster for U.S. troops: cash

Grandmother’s home-baked chocolate chip cookies probably made it to her favorite G.I. during World War II.

But those days are gone.

In the post-Sept. 11 world, the best intentions of people at home wanting to ease the burden of roughing it in Iraq are being constricted, and what remains is a list of rules and regulations.

The best way to provide the amenities that make life a little better for troops in the field is to write a check and deliver it to the local chapter of the American Red Cross or send it to the USO.

Joyce Henckler, chief executive officer of the Pine Tree chapter of the American Red Cross in Bangor, said Wednesday that she and other Red Cross staffers do not want to discourage Mainers from being generous, but that some cold, hard facts remain.

For one thing, she said, the cost of shipping is prohibitive. The Department of Defense accepts items only if shipped by the U.S. Postal Service. That means a few pounds of donated items can cost about $10 to ship.

The shipping restrictions are also strict, she said.

Henckler said the Brunswick Red Cross office has decided to accept only money donations because it could find itself in a financial deficit trying to pay for all the shipping of donated merchandise.

Henckler said she and others recently have had to turn away donations such as a truckload of cookies and two pallets of toilet paper because the Defense Department won’t accept them: They are too costly to ship.

A woman approached the Presque Isle office about shipping Easter baskets to troops. With a six-to-eight-week backlog of packages at the national Red Cross office, Henckler said, the chocolate bunnies would melt long before leaving the United States.

In fact, no chocolate is being accepted in these, the warm-weather months, she said.

Henckler said the Pine Tree chapter will accept donations – $25 is the recommended amount – and staff will buy some of the items on the accepted list. With part of the donation, staff will pay for shipping.

Checks and cash should be earmarked for “Quality of Life for U.S. Troops,” she said.

Kris Lowell, who works at the Thomaston branch of Camden National Bank, is heading the collection of some Red Cross-recommended items for troops, which will be delivered to the Portland chapter.

But Lowell started out on another course after answering an e-mail request from a local woman. Lowell was told that WCSH-TV 6 in Portland was coordinating the collection of donations for the troops, but after making telephone calls to the station, she discovered the information was inaccurate.

Charlene Belanger, community relations director for WCSH, said Wednesday that a rumor has apparently been circulating that the station is accepting donations. She has fielded dozens of telephone calls and e-mails, she said, and finally posted on the station’s Web site – and that of sister station WLBZ-TV 2 in Bangor – information about how to help the troops.

The stations are directing those who want to give to the American Red Cross or USO.

A third option for supporting the troops in the Gulf, Belanger said, is to participate in Operation Dear Abby, which coordinates e-mails and letters to individual members of the armed services.