Students from Piney Grove Middle School teamed up with Treat the Troops and Alpharetta-based online retailer Christmas Lights, Etc today to assemble care packages for troops stationed overseas. The event was part of Piney Grove’s “Grizzly Great Day of Giving,” or “G3,” an annual event in which students fan out into the community to perform acts of service.
Christmas Lights, Etc opened up its 100,000-square-foot headquarters and distribution facility to the students and parent volunteers. Treat the Troops provided home-baked cookies, candy, magazines and other goodies for the students to pack, complete with handwritten notes, cards and letters. Christmas Lights, Etc then delivered the packages to the post office and shipped them off to the troops.
“We appreciate Christmas Lights, Etc making their space available, and the opportunity for our kids to engage with the Treat the Troops program,” said Pam Pajerski, Principal of Piney Grove. “This is a critical lesson for our kids, that we should remember the troops who defend our safety.”
Treat the Troops has sent more than 5.3 million cookies to U.S. soldiers stationed abroad since 1990. The “Southern Style” (Georgia) chapter of Treat the Troops, headquartered in Cumming, Ga., is the third largest chapter in the United States, sending more than 600,000 cookies overseas.
“Boxes we pack today will go to places as scattered abroad as Afghanistan, South Africa, Syria, South Korea, Japan, Italy, two aircraft carriers and two destroyers at sea,” said Linda Jones of Treat the Troops Southern Style. “And ninety percent of the letters I get from the soldiers mention the personal notes from the kids. I think it’s amazing. We’re so appreciative that Christmas Lights, Etc does this.”
Christmas Lights, Etc began partnering with Treat the Troops in 2013. The company plans to continue its support and encourages other local businesses to get involved. Volunteers are always needed to help with baking, packing, and financial contributions.
“We have thousands of military personnel stationed abroad at great distances from their families and loved ones,” said Chris Miller, Co-Owner of Christmas Lights, Etc. “We greatly appreciate the sacrifice these men and women make, and we’re proud to participate with Treat the Troops and Piney Grove Middle School to create these care packages.”
About Treat The Troops
Treat The Troops (http://www.treatthetroops.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to letting deployed American military personnel know that people at home are remembering them. Treat the Troops sends home-baked cookies and other comfort items, along with a note of thanks, to the troops via the U.S. Postal Service.
About Christmas Lights, Etc
Christmas Lights, Etc (https://www.christmaslightsetc.com) is the most shopped online Christmas lights store in America. Founded in 2000, Christmas Lights, Etc features thousands of quality lights, trees, greenery and decor. Christmas Lights, Etc is a three-time INC. 5000 company, an ENERGY STAR partner, and a supplier of residential and commercial Christmas lighting, Christmas decor and Christmas trees.
PHOTO CAPTION: Chris Miller, co-owner of Christmas Lights, Etc.; Linda Jones of Treat the Troops Southern Style; Pam Pajerski, principal of Piney Grove Middle School; and Michel Satterfield, assistant principal of Forsyth Central High School; spearheaded the Treat the Troops pack at Christmas Lights, Etc, part of Piney Grove’s “Grizzly Great Day of Giving.”
Piney Grove Middle School Sends Care Packages to the Troops!
