HELPING hands go a long way and thanks to kind-hearted volunteers more troops will get emergency supplies.
A team at Wylde Green Rotary Club staged a packing event to support Shirley charity Troop Aid.
It marks 14 years of support for the club packing special Grab Bags, filled with emergency supplies for military personnel who find themselves in hospital due to distress, injury or illness.
The bags contain essential items such as socks, underwear, T-shirt, shorts, a towel, face flannel, washing and shaving kits, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste and even a Get Well card.
Other local Rotary Clubs, including Meriden, Solihull St Alphege and Edgbaston Convention, have also supported the charity over the years.
Carolyn McLaughlin, secretary of Wylde Green Rotary Club, said: “The grab bag gives injured service personnel dignity during a state of emergency and an emotional crisis. It’s a small way of saying ‘thank you’ to the people who put their lives on the line so we can stay safe.”
Troop Aid started in 2006 and has helped injured military personnel who are admitted to hospital without their personal belongings.
Since then more than 18,500 grab bags have been dispatched around the world, including around 1,200 a year for the duration of the Iraq wars.
Pam Sutton, who runs the charity with her husband Al, said: “Our funds come entirely from fundraising events and donations from organisations such as Rotary International.
“They make such a huge difference in a couple of ways – both coming into our warehouse – and previously our home – to pack the bags and getting involved in fundraising and making donations which helps us to provide these essential bags to injured military personnel around the world.”
In 2014, the charity was proud to receive both The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and Chief of Defence Staff’s Award for rare and exceptional support to the military community.
It also has The Prince of Wales as their patron.
