P-G: Soldier support started small but quickly gained traction

When Kristen Holloway Querriera asked a friend's brother what would make his deployment in Iraq more comfortable, he said help with the sweltering heat -- which frequently soars to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

So, the Mt. Lebanon woman asked friends and family to donate $25 apiece to purchase moisture-wicking apparel for the soldiers in the man's 49-member platoon.

Donations poured in and the entire company of 117 soldiers was sent clothing and enough funds were left over to also buy personal hygiene items and snacks.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/a-newsmaker-you-should-know-soldier-support-started-small-but-quickly-gained-traction-644387 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Local Woman Honored By President For Helping Troops

NOTE: Kristen is a Mt. Lebanon resident

It started as a small project aimed to boost the spirits of local soldiers stationed far away from home – a local woman taking requests and granting them to those fighting overseas.

After 40,000 packages and four years later, Operation Troop Appreciation has received national recognition.

Kristen Holloway, of Pittsburgh, started the nonprofit group in 2004 as a means for soldiers to create a wish list online and have their requests granted.

Link: www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/17451148/detail.html

Previous post: Operation Troop Appreciation

Operation Troop Appreciation

Chalk this one up as one of those "I had no idea there was an organization like this and I sure as heck didn't know it was based right here in Mt. Lebanon!"

Each Saturday morning, I take the time to travel with my mother around town to visit the various garage sales that our fellow residents hold each week. We stopped at a garage sale on Parkside Avenue on Saturday that had a large sign in front of the house that said "All proceeds benefit Operation Troop Appreciation".

Curiosity got the best of us, so we made sure to ask the homeowner, Kristen Holloway, what the organization was about and she proceeded to tell us everything that we needed to know. She also had a great photo album available which showed the troops opening the care packages that were sent via Operation Troop Appreciation.

Please take the time to learn about this great organization and how you can help support our troops.

Link: www.operationtroopappreciation.org