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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
April 5, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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April 5, 2007
 
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What's Cookin'? , Ayerses mail troops a little 'aloha' 71 By REBECCA WELLS When Dnitra and Mark Ayers spot a deal on snacks or toiletries at the store, they stock up. This is not for themselves but for people they hardly know. Why? They bet some U.S. soldier deployed over- seas whom they might not have even met could really use the sup- plies, as well as the morale boost. "It's about letting them know they're appreciated," Dnitra ex- plains. Mark served in the U.S. Marine Corps until 1983 while Dnitra's never served in the military and neither has anyone else in her immediate family. Mark and Dni- tra estimate they've sent about a thousand packages to servicemen and women since they began over four years ago. "It's always nice just to get something in the mail," Mark says, recalling his own days in the service. WHEN THEY first started this effort the couple and their son Brennan were living in Kona, Hawaii, where they run an auto shop. They saw more and more of their friends, customers and their family members being deployed to military service in the Middle East, leaving their loved ones be- hind with the burden of mailing letters and care packages to their distant outposts. "The shipping was outrageous," Mark recalls. In the days before flat-rate post- age, mailing expenses could mount up pretty quickly and sometimes it would cost $100 to mail one box with contents worth only about $30. At the same time they heard some of the troops were holed up in tents in the middle of the desert with no running water and limited food and supplies. This was enough to compel the couple to begin supporting the troops and their families. Before they knew it, Operation Aloha was launched as their family's way of letting the troops know they haven't been forgotten. THEY STARTED by, 'selling "yellow ribbon" magnets to raise funds for Operation Aloha. At first their idea was to send drawings and letters from schoolchildren addressed to the troops bringing general greetings and encourage- ment. "It's not their fault that they're there," points out Mark. For a while Dnitra didn't know where to send these notes of en- couragement. Though some Web sites, such as anysolider.com, exist, most people can't just call up the military and ask for names of people to send them gifts, she not- ed. Then she came across an ar- ticle in a Hawaii newspaper men- tioning contact information on a soldier's mother. Dnitra connected with her and soon they were mail- ing gifts to this woman's son and a growing list of others. "That was my ..... m, she recalls. As time passed, soldiers would return from duty overseas and put them in contact with another soldier they knew about to be de- ployed. Other times people also gav¢ them names of soldiers or rec- ommended particular units, and so Operation Aloha continues. In its first year, Mark figures. they spent several thousand dol- lars just in freight to ship goods to troops, most of whom they have never met. They're not alone in this effort as schoolchildren in Ha- waii still pack boxes full of treats for the soldiers. Mark taught them how to fill packages on an assem- bly line when their son Brennan was in their class. Many of these i i TRI-OMINOS KID GLOVES RULERS DICE APPLES TO APPLES CAR KITS SPORTING THEIR "Operation Aloha" T-shirts, Brennan, Dnitra and Mark Ayers display a collection of care pack- ages they plan to send to U.S. troops serving overseas. Koyanagi, even invited then to his upcoming wedding. They also got to know his family, who covered them with Hawaiian leis when Mark and Dnitra moved away. Dnitra and Thomas were in touch so often that she became very worried when she didn't hear from him for quite a while, only to find out he had been sick. Now she keeps her eye out for basic medical supplies to send troops, as well. They also make sure to add little toys and candies in many of the packages they send units. The troops can share them with local children they encounter while on duty. WHILE THEY DO accept mon- etary contributions, Dnitra says, they never solicit money from peo- ple. More recently, they've seen in- terest dwindle. "It's been a strug- gle; people want to forget about it," Mark says of the effort to hearten military personnel. "You can only afford to send so much stuff." He thinks it would be nice to have a slightly larger fiat-rate box to more easily ship goods such as bulk rice, large shampoo bottles or cookie tins to the troops. Friends and acquaintances have become regular sponsors O f Opera- tion Aloha. One gentleman faith'! fully donates $25 from his modesti income once a month, while a real estate agent they know in Hawaii! has already contributed thou'i sands. Before they left Hawaii, custom" ers would come to their place ell business with loads of bulk prod'i ucts. About $1,500 worth of boxedl goods would be stacked up in Dni. tra's office from time to time. i "WE FORTUNATELY stil l have some good customers in Hat wail who have been helping out,'i Mark says. "But we'd like to set more involvement in this area." They decided to leave theiti home in Hawaii in search of si place where they could buy proF! erty and get away from the heat I of the tropical islands, this since: Mark worked in the hot confines of an auto repair shop. They checked:i out Mason County after looking at some land they had purchased as an investment in Ocean ShoreS, Prior to that they had never eve: been to Washington. : Considering the number of re-i tirees and veterans living in thisi county, it occurred to them that maybe more people here would (Please turn to page 15.) students are the children of sup- porters or recipients of Operation Aloha mailings. They continuously conduct care-package drives. "The reason we did it was just to make it easy if someone wanted to do something, but didn't know how or didn't have time," Dni- tra explains. "To make it easy for someone to add a little help, make a little difference - no matter how big or how small." SINCE THE FAMILY moved to Grapeview almost two years ago, they operate Ayers Auto Re- pair locally, as well as maintain- ing their business in Hawaii. Drd- tra does the bookkeepiDg for both businesses, and since this keeps I I her busy she has chosen not to deal with the hassle of establishing a nonprofit status for her family's small care-package program. That means donations to their cause are not tax-deductible, but to them it's been well worth the effort as well as the expenses they have paid out of their own pockets. "It's a good feeling," Dnitra says, making note of the e-mails, letters and thank-you cards that flow into their mailbox from the apprecia- tive troops. "Some of them are pretty nice ... A lot of the letters make me cry." They have developed strong  friendships with some of the troops through this project. One of these grateful soldiers, Thomas Flowers for Easter 00atsop Bulb Farm www.satsopbulbfarm,com Fresh-Cut Daffodils ...... Fresh-Cut Tulips ............ Tulips, lths or Miniature Daffodils .. 6 seven days a week! Shelton Presbyterian Church Sunday, April 8 th Two Different Times With Two Different Styles 9:00 AM Crosspoint (Contemporary) Praise Band, Casual Dress, Sunday School for the Kids 10:45 AM Traditional Excellent Choir, Familiar Hymns Both Services Feature an Interesting Sermon, Great Music, Quality Nursery Care, and Friendly People There will be refreshments and children's activities after each service Pastor Jeff Bursch Directions from Highway 101: Take Highway 101 to the second Shel- ton Exit, the Matlock/City Center exit. Head west toward Matlock. Proceed 3/10 of a mile and turn left onto Shelton Valley Rd. The church is 1/4 of a mile up the road on the right. Easter Egg Hunt Directions from Downtown Shelton: Go west on Railroad Avenue until you pass under Highway 101. Proceed 3/10 of a mile and turn left onto Shelton Valley Road. The church is 1/4 of a mile up the road Sponsored by SPC at the future site of SPC Saturday, Apdl 7UI * 1 PM , Free to the Community , For Children through age 10 Directions: ' Special Prizes From Highway 101 Turn at the gas station onto z'. Shelton Springs Road heading East. Go 1/4 mile. The property will be on your left. For Safety Considerations a# Children should be accompanied by an adult on the right. For More Information: Call 432-8696 or go to www.sheltonpres.org What's Cookin'? , Ayerses mail troops a little 'aloha' 71 By REBECCA WELLS When Dnitra and Mark Ayers spot a deal on snacks or toiletries at the store, they stock up. This is not for themselves but for people they hardly know. Why? They bet some U.S. soldier deployed over- seas whom they might not have even met could really use the sup- plies, as well as the morale boost. "It's about letting them know they're appreciated," Dnitra ex- plains. Mark served in the U.S. Marine Corps until 1983 while Dnitra's never served in the military and neither has anyone else in her immediate family. Mark and Dni- tra estimate they've sent about a thousand packages to servicemen and women since they began over four years ago. "It's always nice just to get something in the mail," Mark says, recalling his own days in the service. WHEN THEY first started this effort the couple and their son Brennan were living in Kona, Hawaii, where they run an auto shop. They saw more and more of their friends, customers and their family members being deployed to military service in the Middle East, leaving their loved ones be- hind with the burden of mailing letters and care packages to their distant outposts. "The shipping was outrageous," Mark recalls. In the days before flat-rate post- age, mailing expenses could mount up pretty quickly and sometimes it would cost $100 to mail one box with contents worth only about $30. At the same time they heard some of the troops were holed up in tents in the middle of the desert with no running water and limited food and supplies. This was enough to compel the couple to begin supporting the troops and their families. Before they knew it, Operation Aloha was launched as their family's way of letting the troops know they haven't been forgotten. THEY STARTED by, 'selling "yellow ribbon" magnets to raise funds for Operation Aloha. At first their idea was to send drawings and letters from schoolchildren addressed to the troops bringing general greetings and encourage- ment. "It's not their fault that they're there," points out Mark. For a while Dnitra didn't know where to send these notes of en- couragement. Though some Web sites, such as anysolider.com, exist, most people can't just call up the military and ask for names of people to send them gifts, she not- ed. Then she came across an ar- ticle in a Hawaii newspaper men- tioning contact information on a soldier's mother. Dnitra connected with her and soon they were mail- ing gifts to this woman's son and a growing list of others. "That was my ..... m, she recalls. As time passed, soldiers would return from duty overseas and put them in contact with another soldier they knew about to be de- ployed. Other times people also gav¢ them names of soldiers or rec- ommended particular units, and so Operation Aloha continues. In its first year, Mark figures. they spent several thousand dol- lars just in freight to ship goods to troops, most of whom they have never met. They're not alone in this effort as schoolchildren in Ha- waii still pack boxes full of treats for the soldiers. Mark taught them how to fill packages on an assem- bly line when their son Brennan was in their class. Many of these i i TRI-OMINOS KID GLOVES RULERS DICE APPLES TO APPLES CAR KITS SPORTING THEIR "Operation Aloha" T-shirts, Brennan, Dnitra and Mark Ayers display a collection of care pack- ages they plan to send to U.S. troops serving overseas. Koyanagi, even invited then to his upcoming wedding. They also got to know his family, who covered them with Hawaiian leis when Mark and Dnitra moved away. Dnitra and Thomas were in touch so often that she became very worried when she didn't hear from him for quite a while, only to find out he had been sick. Now she keeps her eye out for basic medical supplies to send troops, as well. They also make sure to add little toys and candies in many of the packages they send units. The troops can share them with local children they encounter while on duty. WHILE THEY DO accept mon- etary contributions, Dnitra says, they never solicit money from peo- ple. More recently, they've seen in- terest dwindle. "It's been a strug- gle; people want to forget about it," Mark says of the effort to hearten military personnel. "You can only afford to send so much stuff." He thinks it would be nice to have a slightly larger fiat-rate box to more easily ship goods such as bulk rice, large shampoo bottles or cookie tins to the troops. Friends and acquaintances have become regular sponsors O f Opera- tion Aloha. One gentleman faith'! fully donates $25 from his modesti income once a month, while a real estate agent they know in Hawaii! has already contributed thou'i sands. Before they left Hawaii, custom" ers would come to their place ell business with loads of bulk prod'i ucts. About $1,500 worth of boxedl goods would be stacked up in Dni. tra's office from time to time. i "WE FORTUNATELY stil l have some good customers in Hat wail who have been helping out,'i Mark says. "But we'd like to set more involvement in this area." They decided to leave theiti home in Hawaii in search of si place where they could buy proF! erty and get away from the heat I of the tropical islands, this since: Mark worked in the hot confines of an auto repair shop. They checked:i out Mason County after looking at some land they had purchased as an investment in Ocean ShoreS, Prior to that they had never eve: been to Washington. : Considering the number of re-i tirees and veterans living in thisi county, it occurred to them that maybe more people here would (Please turn to page 15.) students are the children of sup- porters or recipients of Operation Aloha mailings. They continuously conduct care-package drives. "The reason we did it was just to make it easy if someone wanted to do something, but didn't know how or didn't have time," Dni- tra explains. "To make it easy for someone to add a little help, make a little difference - no matter how big or how small." SINCE THE FAMILY moved to Grapeview almost two years ago, they operate Ayers Auto Re- pair locally, as well as maintain- ing their business in Hawaii. Drd- tra does the bookkeepiDg for both businesses, and since this keeps I I her busy she has chosen not to deal with the hassle of establishing a nonprofit status for her family's small care-package program. That means donations to their cause are not tax-deductible, but to them it's been well worth the effort as well as the expenses they have paid out of their own pockets. "It's a good feeling," Dnitra says, making note of the e-mails, letters and thank-you cards that flow into their mailbox from the apprecia- tive troops. "Some of them are pretty nice ... A lot of the letters make me cry." They have developed strong  friendships with some of the troops through this project. One of these grateful soldiers, Thomas Flowers for Easter 00atsop Bulb Farm www.satsopbulbfarm,com Fresh-Cut Daffodils ...... Fresh-Cut Tulips ............ Tulips, lths or Miniature Daffodils .. 6 seven days a week! Shelton Presbyterian Church Sunday, April 8 th Two Different Times With Two Different Styles 9:00 AM Crosspoint (Contemporary) Praise Band, Casual Dress, Sunday School for the Kids 10:45 AM Traditional Excellent Choir, Familiar Hymns Both Services Feature an Interesting Sermon, Great Music, Quality Nursery Care, and Friendly People There will be refreshments and children's activities after each service Pastor Jeff Bursch Directions from Highway 101: Take Highway 101 to the second Shel- ton Exit, the Matlock/City Center exit. Head west toward Matlock. Proceed 3/10 of a mile and turn left onto Shelton Valley Rd. The church is 1/4 of a mile up the road on the right. Easter Egg Hunt Directions from Downtown Shelton: Go west on Railroad Avenue until you pass under Highway 101. Proceed 3/10 of a mile and turn left onto Shelton Valley Road. The church is 1/4 of a mile up the road Sponsored by SPC at the future site of SPC Saturday, Apdl 7UI * 1 PM , Free to the Community , For Children through age 10 Directions: ' Special Prizes From Highway 101 Turn at the gas station onto z'. Shelton Springs Road heading East. Go 1/4 mile. The property will be on your left. For Safety Considerations a# Children should be accompanied by an adult on the right. For More Information: Call 432-8696 or go to www.sheltonpres.org