10/20/06 Wash Potato Commission helps the troops

Farm and Ranch October 20, 2006 You might say when the chips are down, the Washington State Potato Commission gets the chips moving again. Potato chips that is, moving to U.S. troops around the globe, but particularly to service men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The donations of sample bags of potato chips as well pens and writing tablets are made through U.S. Troop Care Package. That's run in Pasco by Jan Sass. She says the Potato Commission sends pallets of the chips directly to places like Walter Reed Hospital where troops with serious injuries are being treated. Sass: "I had the opportunity of going to the Pentagon last year. We got a personal thank you from Secretary Rumsfield. And we were able to go to Walter Reed and meet with the wounded. And they all knew of the Washington potato chips. All of them. It is just a great thing. So Washington state is on the map as far as they're concerned." Sass says there is such a demand for care packages for the troops that they generally mail every Friday and they are proud of the fact they set the record for the Tri-cities Post Office for the most packages mailed at one time. Right now U.S. Troop Care Package is gearing up for their Christmas packages which have to be sent by the end of October. If you want to help go to www.uscarepackage.com and check out their shopping list. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.