Sock ‘Em: Stamford resident and founder of SoldierStrong receives Presidential Volunteer Service Award

 

By Cathryn J. Prince
May 29, 2011
The Patch

During the Civil War troops looked forward to receiving packages of knit socks and hand rolled bandages, often sent from their hometowns. Now more 27 units of Marines and soldiers eagerly await care packages from SoldierStrong.

Christopher Meek of Stamford started the non-profit SoldierStrong in 2009. On Saturday a battalion of volunteers gathered at his home to tape, pack, and label. At morning’s end assembled between 5,000 and 6,000 pounds of toiletries, socks, snacks and CDs. Each box will go to an individual Marine or soldier serving in Afghanistan.

“More than ever they specifically ask for socks and wipes,” Meek said. “It’s the simple things like that the makes all the difference.”

So far the non-profit has shipped about 30,000 pounds of tube socks, baby wipes and other necessities to soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Meek, a vice president at Goldman Sachs & Co.

The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation (the Council) recently awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to SoldierStrong recognizing and honoring their “sustained commitment to civic participation, and inspiring others to make service a central part of their lives.”

“How could you not help?” Frank Lovello said. “All they need are socks.”

Lovello, nicknamed the Drill Sergeant, is Meek’s neighbor. He directed the volunteers on what to fill and how much to put in each box. This was Lovello’s third such “packing party” as the events are called. The next one will likely be near Veteran’s Day.

Each box also included hand written letters from area school children.

“I hope you are all right. You are my best hero. You are really cool. You are the best,” one letter said in careful penmanship.

“Our troops are our troops,” Meek said.” Whether you disagree if they should be in combat, they put their lives on the line every day for people they don’t know.”

SoldierStrong.com is partnered with New Balance in New Canaan; Hope Street Pharmacy in Stamford; UPS Store in Norwalk. The Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 49 and Air National Guard out of Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York will fly the boxes to Afghanistan.

Meek will rent a U-Haul and drive the boxes to Newburgh early this week. Until then his garage will house the boxes.

“It’s my second packing party. I’ve got the system down now,” Jaimie Redniss, a Stamford resident, said as she affixed tape to boxes with professional precision.

Since 2009, SoldierStrong has helped deliver supplies to nearly 40 units, many of which have sons and daughters of CT serving, in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has held supply drives everywhere from Boston, Miami, Hollywood and Iowa.

Last year, Meek launched SoldierSanta.com as a way to send small gifts and more frivolous goodies to troops in combat zones.

Meek hopes the presidential citation will further raise awareness and get more people involved.

“It does mean something to them,” Meek said, “and they do appreciate it.”

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Cablevision Neighborhood Journal features SoldierStrong

 

SoldierStrong is featured in Cablevision’s Neighborhood Journal. Chris Meek founder of Soldier Socks receives the Power to Learn Award. From North East Elementary School in Stamford, Connecticut. Produced December 2010.

 

Tomorrow’s Vets: Socks for Soldiers

 

Thursday is Veterans’ Day. Donate $1.50 at New Balance of New Canaan, and they will send a clean pair of socks to U.S. troops overseas.

Pulling on a clean pair of socks is one of the great comforts for a soldier in the field.

For a donation of $1.50, the New Balance of New Canaan will send a new pair of socks to our troops overseas. The community is encouraged to write a personal note to a soldier that will be sent along with the socks.

The drive will extend to the first week of Dec., so the socks and greetings can be shipped to reach the troops in time for the holidays.

Mike Shinsky, store manager for the past four years told About Town, “We’ve been working with Chris Meek from Stamford who started Soldier Socks for a while now and they have sent over 2,000 pairs of socks to the troops in Afghanistan. As people make their purchase, we ask if they would like to donate $1.50 for a pair of socks. Everybody has contributed so far, some even more.”

Using a special barcode at checkout, the store tallies the donations separately and the amount collected at the end goes to purchase the socks. Obviously the more they collect, the more socks can be sent.

About Town met Socks for Soldier Socks founder, Chris Meek who was at the New Balance Store helping owners Ron and Tina Rosenfeld hang their banner to advertise the drive. Chris told About Town, “We started doing this in 2009, when the Marine Corps. League reported that the soldiers living in foxholes and jeeps in the field, barely had enough fresh drinking water, let alone water to wash their clothes. I thought there had to be a better way, so I reached out for community support and local businesses embraced it. Ron and Tina have been our partners for the socks since Day One!”

Over the past year, approximately 25,000 pounds of supplies have been shipped with the socks to 21 units in Afghanistan.

Ron Rosenfeld, is a regular supporter of worthy causes and sponsors the annual All Out for Austism walk in August and last month a Pink Lemonade Stand to raise money for a cure for breast cancer that was set up outside his store by a seven- year-old resident and her family.

He said, “This soldier thing has been great! I met Chris and when he told me the troops needed basic items, we talked about tube socks — ours wick the sweat off and are better than what the government issues to them.”

Julianne Beck, a NCHS junior who works at the New Balance store said, “It’s a really good opportunity for all the kids in New Canaan. They like to make some sort of personal contribution, so come in and write letters to the troops!”

Ron Rosenfeld wants everyone to know, “This won’t end after the holidays. We will keep it going and won’t stop until all the troops are home. We want all these kids home but while they are out there doing their jobs we want to make it better for them. Mike Shinsky added, “There’s always a very positive response because New Canaan is a great town!”

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