Donations sought to help our troops By Caterina Mellinger VALLEY TIMES 10/11/2008 THANKS TO THOSE of you who have reached out to help Alamo resident Debbie Sanford in her efforts to help service sorority Delta Nu Psi collect Beanie Babies for the troops. This effort, to give the troops Beanies to give to Iraqi children, has taken on a life of its own. Each week I get several requests from readers to put me in touch with Debbie and Alicia Watson, who is a member of the organization. Today, Delta Nu Psi will be collecting items outside of Lunardi's in Danville, 345 Railroad Ave., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations are very much appreciated by the troops. Many of the items requested are things we take for granted every day but are considered a special treat by the soldiers. They are looking for donations of foil packets of tuna, chicken, crab or salmon; fresh ground coffee; any type of Fruit Roll-Ups; hard candy and gum; corn nuts and sunflower seeds; beef jerky; tooth brushes and razors; and post cards with encouraging messages. Alicia recently sent me an e-mail about the Beanies: "Your columns have proved a bounty for the children in the war zone. One of my soldiers put me in touch with a chaplain, who along with his group, has been making desks for 400 children who had been going to school outside of a 15-by-15 mud building. The State Department and USAID built a new school. "Our Beanie Babies will arrive just after the children start their new school. The chaplain also stated that they would like additional Babies for the other areas that they visit. At first I was overwhelmed by the response of your readers, but the response of my soldiers to distribute the Babies has been excellent," wrote Alicia. You can reach her at deltanupsi@comcast.net. It is important that our troops know we support them and pray for their safe return. A little bit of home goes a long way, so stop by Lunardi's and drop off a postcard or some items that you probably already have in your pantry. Have a great week! Reach Caterina Mellinger at aroundalamo@hotmail.com or by mail in c/o the Times, P.O. Box 607, Pleasanton, CA 94566.