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Cape Realtors collecting Christmas packages for soldiers

3 min read

By ANDREA GALABINSKI

nfmneighbor@breezenewspapers.com

A local “Army mom” is now seeking donations for troops in Afghanistan. And while her son (who is in the military) is not involved, it is a cause near and dear to her heart.

Local Realtor Robin Whitt, a partner in LaGace & Whitt Partners, RE/MAX Realty Team, is on her own special mission.

“My sales team has adopted an Army unit in Afghanistan to send care packages to,” she said. “This unit has 100 soldiers and they are in a remote area of Afghanistan.

“We are collecting items to send as well as monetary donations to help with shipping costs and to purchase other items.”

Her son, Jesse, 19, is currently at Fort Hood.

“He has been in for about a year now, and will be deployed in 2013,” she said. “He is an infantryman.”

When asked how this project came about, she said, “Actually it is my partner, Jay LaGace, who has always been supportive of our troops. But for me, now more so because my son is now a soldier and I became much more aware of what they go through.”

She said she got more inspiration from another Army mom who is in Tampa, and knew a soldier in this unit.

“They are in a remote area and they do not get a lot of ‘luxuries’ – what we would call simple things, like toothbrushes. All they get is MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and not much more.”

The business will be collecting now through Nov. 21 at its office at 2326 Del Prado Boulevard.

“We’re the big old ‘Red, White and Blue’ RE/MAX on the corner of Del Prado and Veterans,” she said.

She said they have had a lot of community support so far.

“I have even had donations from other Army families from across the nation,” she said.

Her goal are those “luxuries” most take for granted.

“The main things are beef jerky (protein), nutrition bars and any personal hygiene products,” she said.

The big one, she noted, is baby wipes.

“Because some cannot take a shower – that’s how they clean themselves.”

Donations can be big or small, she said.

“It can even be a hand-written letter,” she said. “They can drop them to our office or you can call us and we can arrange for a pick-up.

“We want the soldiers in Afghanistan to know we are aware that they are still there fighting for us and that we have not forgotten them.”

For information, call 443-0432.