Springfield Postmaster will Join Local Volunteers to Support Troops

Romano’s Macaroni Grill to Host “Shoeboxes for Soldiers Assembly Day” on Friday

Springfield, Mo. —Since her son, PFC Dustin Hudson, was deployed to Afghanistan, Fordland’s Rhonda Luttrell has channeled her anxiety into a campaign to help Dustin and his fellow soldiers know that they’re remembered back home.

Earlier this year, with the support of the Victory Life Church in Rogersville and Springfield’s own KTTS-FM, Luttrell initiated the "Shoeboxes for Soldiers,” campaign. The Shoeboxes for Soldiers effort relies on local volunteers to help pack and ship clothing, toiletries and snacks to U.S troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo.

Romano’s Macaroni Grill, located at 1286 E. Battlefield will host a special “Shoebox Assembly Day” event on Friday, Oct. 24, from 3 to 5 p.m. Springfield Postmaster Bill Brayman will join the Shoeboxes for Soldiers volunteers to deliver 100 of the Postal Service’s new Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate boxes, which feature a $2 discount when shipped to APO/FPO addresses, enabling customers to support the troops for one flat, discounted price.

"Holiday gifts from home are a big morale boost for military service members stationed around the world," said Brayman.

The domestic mail price for the largest Flat-Rate Priority Mail box is $12.95, but for packages to APO/FPO addresses overseas the price is reduced to only $10.95. Flat-Rate boxes are free at any Post Office, or can be ordered online at www.usps.com.

The Postal Service continues to show its support by offering free Military Care Kits, designed specifically for military families sending packages overseas. The mailing kits can be ordered by phone by calling 1-800-610-8734 and asking for the Care Kit. Each kit includes two Priority Mail boxes, six Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes, eight Priority Mail labels, one roll of Priority Mail tape and eight customs forms with envelopes.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.