Operation Care for Troops: Meet April’s Granite Stater of the Month
This month, I’m proud to recognize Thaddeus Luszey Jr. of Hudson, New Hampshire as April 2019 Granite Stater of the Month.
When Thaddeus’s son was deployed to Iraq in 2003, Thaddeus and his wife Deborah began sending him care packages. Now, more than ten years later, that simple act has turned into a non-profit organization called Operation Care for Troops. Operation Care for Troops has sent nearly 110,000 packages to deployed servicemembers, providing them a friendly reminder from home that they are not forgotten. For his dedication to supporting the brave servicemembers who sacrifice so much so that the rest of us may live in freedom and security, I’m proud to recognize Thaddeus as the April 2019 Granite Stater of the Month.
Thaddeus comes from a military family — his mother, father, and son are all veterans. When his son was deployed in Iraq, Thaddeus sat down with a friend over lunch who was also sending care packages overseas to deployed servicemembers and an idea was born: they would work together to reach even more servicemembers. What started as friends, family, and neighbors in garages putting together care packages, has transformed into a full-fledged organization with hundreds of volunteers. Operation Care for Troops sends over a thousand packages four times a year, including 3,000 stockings to troops over the holidays. Operation Care for Troops also makes sure that servicemembers know that the people of New Hampshire have them in their thoughts. Each package contains three or four cards from school children and community members, ensuring that no one goes without mail.
The organization does this all with the support of hundreds of community volunteers and businesses who help supply and fill the packages –a true embodiment of New Hampshire’s all-hands-on-deck spirit.
For these efforts, I’m proud to recognize Thaddeus Luszey Jr. as the April 2019 Granite Stater of the Month.
If you know an extraordinary Granite Stater you’d like to nominate, you can visit my website here.
