Operation: Serve the Troops

The church that my wife and I attend is situated right next to the Willow Grove Naval Air Station (and Joint Reserve Base – NAS/JRB for those keeping track) and, as such, we’ve been looking for a way to serve the troops stationed there. It seems a bit silly to be that close and not be looking out for the interests of the men and women actively serving our country and so our church has planned Operation: Serve the Troops. A corny name, to be sure, but that’s not important.
Basically, O:StT is looking to help out members of our military stationed at Willow Grove by undertaking a major landscaping project at the Shenandoa Woods housing community that houses many of the Willow Grove troops. It’s scheduled for June 5th, starting at 12pm (noon) and lasting until roughly 5 or 6pm, with a barbecue to follow.
Perhaps this email, which I received today, will better help explain the situation (Kristy is the organizer of this event):

Small group leaders of Riverside,
It’s Kristy Harris here. Operation: Serve the Troops is only a few short weeks away. I’m writing to ask you to really push for both volunteers and donations these next few weeks in your small groups. We will need everyone’s help as well as everyone’s prayer for this event to be a huge success. Following are lists of what we need both as far as supplies and volunteers for the work day at Shenendoah woods on June 5th.
As far as volunteers go, we are looking to get between 100 and 150 volunteers. Right now, we have about 40. We need mostly people to do yard work/painting/etc. However, we also need people to help with child care, set-up, set-down and transportation needs.
I have added lists of what we are looking for as far as donations below this e-mail. I want to thank-you for all the work you do at Riverside and also for helping us out with this event. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions or concerns. My number is [number deleted]
God bless,
Kristy Harris
P.S.
Borrowed items needed: Walkie-Talkies, golf carts or tractors with trailers, small and large hand shovels, coolers, wheelbarrows, other gardening tools (for planting and weeding), tables, chairs, water jugs, hoses with nozzles.
Donated items needed: Brown rustoleum paint, dirt, decorative stones, rocks, etc., ice, soda, water, rope, bee traps (about 15), cardboard trash boxes, daffodils (6 flats), petunias (purple and pink mostly), forsythia, vinca major or minor, pompous grass, 6 flats Azaleas, 6 flats Rodedendrons, pots of Shasta daisies, birdbaths, park benches, stone flower pots, plastic sheeting for landscaping.

So please, if you’re in the Philadelphia area and are looking to help our troops in even just a small way, consider donating some of your time or some of the items Kristy mentioned above. We really want to show the troops how much they mean to us. Please, contact me if you have any questions about the event or if you wish to make a donation.
Also, as an incentive, Operation: Serve the Troops t-shirts will be available for $5 apiece. They’re a camo base with the O:StT logo printed on the front. I’ll post a picture once I get ahold of one.
Thanks.
[UPDATE]
And remember, we’re still trying to get LCpl. Van Fleet hired.