Two
Reasons to Celebrate!!!!
November 17, 1999 was a very special day for the Indiana Troopers Association. On that date, there were two reasons to celebrate. First and foremost, ninety-two food baskets were shipped across the state of Indiana to deserving families, just in time for their Thanksgiving Holiday meal. Second, the ITA held an Open House at their new facility located at 130 West Harcourt Road in Angola, and invited members, retirees and the public to drop by and check out their new offices.
While
the open house hours were from 10am until 2pm, the official send-off for the
Food Basket Program was 2pm. Local
guests and a large gathering of local and state law enforcement officers were in
attendance as United Parcel Service arrived just prior to 2pm to load the food
baskets for shipment all over Indiana.
Larry
and Becky Curtis of Curtis Orchards near Angola again prepared the food baskets. In addition to a canned ham, the baskets were filled
with items to provide a well-balanced meal for a family of 4-6. Included were pasta and potato mixes, vegetables, salad
dressing, beverage and bread mixes, and ingredients for a pumpkin pie.
Public
schools across the state were invited to submit the name of a family who could
use some assistance at the Thanksgiving Holiday season.
If more than one entry was received from a county, a random drawing was
held to select one family from that county.
Other than a holiday greeting card, no other contact will be made with
the family that received the baskets.
The program is totally funded by the Indiana Troopers Association.
Assisting
with the program was David Stayton of United Parcel Service, who was
instrumental in the shipping process making sure the baskets were delivered in
time for the Thanksgiving Day dinner table.
Acknowledgements
have been received from various areas in the state including many teachers who
wrote to the ITA to express their appreciation for our “helping hand” to
families in their schools. We
also received a number of “thank you” letters from the recipients, including
one from a father who was incarcerated during the Thanksgiving holiday.
His letter read, “If it had not been for your organization, my wife and
kids would not have had a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
I sincerely appreciate the things you do for families and communities.”
It
was a big day for the Indiana Troopers Association and a great way to kick off
the holiday season of giving and sharing.