By Jeff Brewster
LAKEWOOD – The City of Lakewood is supporting efforts to provide toiletries and snack foods for single soldiers re-deploying from Afghanistan. Lakewood’s adopted brigade from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the 4-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, is now six months into a nine-month deployment. While the “Raider Brigade” will fully return to JBLM by August, a number of troops have already started to return.
While many of our returning soldiers will have families waiting for them, many are single. The City encourages the public to donate male and female toiletries (shampoo, shower gel, shaving cream, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant) as well as non-perishable snack foods, water, sports drinks, and laundry detergent/dryer sheet combos. Family readiness groups from the brigade will place the donations in the barracks before the soldiers return.
The public is welcome to deliver donations to Lakewood City Hall (3rd floor counter) or the Lakewood Police Department at 9401 Lakewood Dr SW from now through the end of June. Alternatively, the public can donate online to the non-profit Dragoon Raiders Soldier and Family Fund for this purpose: www.42drsff.org/. For additional information, call 253-983-7761.