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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