February is Love Your Troops month at the Rock Springs Library!

As I look around at the world: trouble in Tunisia, riots in Egypt, incomprehensible violence in the Sudan, poverty throughout this country, I am feeling fortunate, even with the after holiday bills coming in.  If you are feeling the same, why not consider donating some talent, time or cash to Operation Gratitude.  The Rock Springs Library is partnering with Operation Gratitude by serving as a collection point for care packages for our overseas troops. If you take a look at their website, you will see their wishlist, the history, the financial reports and the testimonials from the troops for the donations from this organization.

Tens of thousands of American Service Members are deployed in hostile and remote regions of the world, including the Middle East, Afghanistan, and on ships throughout international waters. The physical conditions they must endure are difficult and they may be separated from loved ones for long periods of time.

Operation Gratitude seeks to lift morale and put smiles on faces by sending care packages addressed to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed in harm’s way.** Operation Gratitude care packages contain food, hygiene products, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support.

Through Collection Drives, Letter Writing Campaigns and Donations of funds for shipping expenses, Operation Gratitude provides civilians anywhere in America a way to express their respect and appreciation to the men and women of the U.S. Military in an active, hands-on manner.

Operation Gratitude is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-based corporation, funded entirely by private donations. For safety and security, the assembling of all packages occurs at the Army National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, California.

The Rock Springs Library will be a collection point for items and will send them on to the Armory in California to be distributed among the troops overseas.  Please consider donating something from the troops wishlist:

Provide items from the Wish List (Please provide new items only):

Knit Hats, Scarves, Neck Gators  (see directions links below or here: Scarves)
Yarn for our knitters to make scarves
Beanie Babies, Webkinz or other Small Plush Toys
Socks, Computer Flash Drives, DVDs and CDs, Video Games Headsets (earpiece and microphone) and WebCams
Energy Bars, Beef Jerky
Commercially sealed Lip Balm, toothpaste, toothbrushes, roll-on deodorant

Prepaid Phone Cards
Travel-Size Board Games, Handheld electronic games
Bandana Coolers/Cool-Ties*, Mini-Battery-operated Fans
Hand and Foot Warmers
Single Serving Boxes of Cold Cereal; Individual Packets of Hot Cereal
Commercially wrapped individual packets of Trail Mix, Nuts, Energy Bars, Sunflower Seeds, Candy
Ready To Eat Tuna or Chicken Salad kits
Boxes of Girl Scout Cookies
Packets of Powdered Hot or Cold Beverages
Individual packets of moist towelettes

Travel Size containers of Foot Powder
Screen Printed T-Shirts, Baseball Style Caps, Gloves

Disposable Cameras
Holiday Greeting Cards (blank)
Unsealed personal cards and letters
Used Cell Phones, Video Games and Systems, IPODs, PDAs, Ink-jet Cartridges

PLEASE NOTE: EXCEPT AS STATED IN THE ABOVE LIST, WE ONLY ACCEPT TOILETRIES FROM MANUFACTURERS

* Here’s a great craft project for school, scout, social and community groups:
Knit/Crochet Scarves!! Feel free to use your own pattern or
contact us at: OpGrat@gmail.com or find details here: Handmade Scarves and Hats
We want to include a Knit/Crochet scarf in every Holiday Care Package (at least 60,000!)–Please spread the word about this project. Encourage knitting groups, blogs and websites to support us!

Make Bandana Cool-Ties for our troops!
Follow this link for patterns and directions.
http://www.watersorb.com/polymer_cool_neck_bands.htm
Follow this link to buy the water-absorbing polymer granules needed for your Cool Ties:
http://www.watersorb.com/mainstore.html

Neck Warmers/”Gators” Directions:
Please see: http://www.uberpest.com/gaiter.html
Please use tan, brown, desert camouflage or other neutral colored cotton or material.

Donations of cash will also be accepted by the librarians for with the shipping charges.

Simple Resolutions for the New Year

One of the unheralded media stories of the Great Recession has been the rapidity with which Americans have embraced simple living. We’re reclaiming frugality as a value while questioning the reckless consumption of the recent past. We’re eating more healthfully, taking up gardening and electing smaller, more eco-friendly living spaces.

Following are 10 resolutions for 2011 that can enhance your sustainable profile.

1. Pay in cash.

2. Contract your living space.

3. Join the clean plate club.

4. Always eat sitting down.

5. Join a club.

6. Use less paper.

7. Plan your garden.

8. Hang out your wash.

9. Delay purchases.

10. Stop and chat.

For more ideas on sustainable living, go to your local library and do some digging! or read the entire article here.

Raleigh, North Carolina-based sustainability advocate Wanda Urbanska is the author of eight books, the latest of which is The Heart of Simple Living: 7 Paths to a Better Life (Krause: 2010).

Clare Vanderpool has won the 2011 Newbery Medal for Moon Over Manifest (Delacorte), edited by Michelle Poploff. Erin E. Stead has won the 2011 Randolph Caldecott Medal for A Sick Day for Amos McGee (Roaring Brook/Porter), written by Philip C. Stead, edited by Neal Porter. And Paolo Bacigalupi has won the 2011 Michael L. Printz Award for Ship Breaker (Little, Brown), edited by Jennifer Hunt. The awards were announced this morning at the American Library Association’s midwinter conference in San Diego.