Florence Cohen of West Windsor was instrumental in collecting supplies for American troops in the Middle East from members of Rotary Club of the Princeton Corridor. The local chapter of the international service organization adopted the project at the urging of Cohen, who had heard about Operation Shoebox New Jersey from another Rotary club.
The van-full of supplies that Florence and her husband, Harvey Cohen, delivered to Operation Shoebox New Jersey, were included in an October 21 shipment sent to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. They donated sunscreen, bug repellent, lip balm, batteries, cold medicine, Tylenol, band-aids, eye drops, foot powder, dry drink mixes, pull-top canned tuna, crackers, lunch packages, beef jerky, and Slim Jims.
Cohen received an E-mail and a photo from First Sergeant Raymond Hoffman of the 50th Personnel Services Battalion at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, “Just wanted to say thanks. My unit just received 200 packages for my battalion. Everyone was so excited about the supplies and letters inside.”
The Rotary Club of the Princeton Corridor, established in 1986, sponsors two annual fund-raising events — Mercer Day each May and a Princeton Tailgate party each October. Proceeds from these events support local organizations including HomeFront, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Life Ties Organization, Trenton Rescue Mission, and a holiday gift program and numerous scholarships for the local high schools. Funds are also donated to Rotary International for support of charitable works worldwide. For more information visit www.princetoncorridorrotary.org.
“Regardless of your politics, supporting our troops in this way shows them we care and we appreciate the personal sacrifice the service men and women make,” says Cohen. “The vast majority of people agree with that; we certainly need to support the people out there on the front lines, and for that, I would think everyone would want to help out.”
For information on how to donate, call Jane Mamer at 973-907-4268 or visit www.operationshoeboxnj.org.
