The HeroToHero.US and Hero To Hero Team Canada Troop Morale Campaign is first responders giving the shirts off their backs to show their non-political support for our deployed troops.
NO Politics ~ NO Pro/Antiwar Stances ~ NO Borders to our Allies
“The mission of HeroToHero.US and Hero To Hero Team Canada is to be a conduit between Heroes, past and present, be they Firefighter, Law Enforcement, or Military. We support their missions, their morale, and the loved ones most impacted by their sacrifices."
This is a true team effort.There is no room in this effort for self-promotion.This is about & for the troops.
Welcome to the Hero To Hero Team Canada website. Back in September of 2005 when I met Liz Jackson, the Founder and Director of HeroToHero.US at the International Association of Firefighters Memorial in Colorado Springs, I had never heard of this Troop Morale Campaign.
She filled me in pretty quickly. It didn't take much to convince me that this was a great way to show support for our troops. Like most people, i wanted to do something to show my support but wasn't sure what to do.
I also happened to be working with Jason Bosker one of Sarnia Fire Rescue's newest recruits at the time who had come to SFRS after 15 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. He had been deployed to Kosovo and Croatia for 3 rotations during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. He served during a period where support for our Armed Forces was lacking on many fronts.
When I returned to work after the Memorial I asked Jason what he thought of the idea of First Responders giving the worn shirts off their backs to our soldiers. Actually the way I put it to him was ... "Would you have given a Rats A** if some firefighter or cop had sent you his used t-shirt when you were deployed?" Without hesitation, as his eyes began to gloss over he told me that if anyone had sent him a Labatts Blue bottle cap it would have made his day because it was from home and someone had taken the time to send it to him.
That was the defining moment in bringing the HeroToHero.US program to Canada ... our humble beginning.
We started laying the ground work in Canada almost 5 1/2 years ago and it has been just over 4 years since we shipped out our first "Packout" of T-shirts from First Responders across Canada.
In March 2007 (our first effort) we shipped 228 shirts to deployed troops. In April 2008 we shipped over 1200 shirts. Between March & July 2009 we shipped 2200 shirts and 450 hats.
Originally, we collected shirts for a year and then held what we called a "Packout" where many of our volunteers gathered at a firehall in Sarnia, Ontario and helped pack up all the shirts for shipping to Canadian troops deployed all around the world. Since July/2009 we have been receiving enough donations on a regular basis that we are now able to ship shirts year round instead of just once a year. As of April 2011 we have shipped a total of 6000 shirts and hats to deployed troops.
This past year has seen the addition of a few very special items to our t-shirt shipments. Every package now contains fresh baked cookies from the famous "Petrolia Cookie Lady". Karen Wilson has sent over 40,000 cookies to deployed troops. Willy Huber, the owner of Piller's Delicatessan's in Waterloo, Ontario has donated 70 cases of their famous "Pepstix" to Hero To Hero to include in all our packages. We also add bags of fresh ground coffee that contain personal messages right on the bags, thanks to Tree House Coffee Bar and Eatery in Sarnia and Twiggs Coffee Roasters in North Bay, Ontario. Both these coffee shops participated in "Operation Caffeination".
You will find lots of info within the website about how the program works and what you can do to participate. We will also keep you apprised of other things that people are doing to support our troops. We'll provide links to other troop support and First Responder organizations. We will keep the site fresh and up to date once we get up to speed. Feel free to send ideas. If you are holding a not for profit troop morale event, let us know and we will post it on our site. Expect lots of photos of everything we do.
Would you like to receive our occasional newsletter? Just send us an e-mail at troopshirts@gmail.com. We do not share any info about you. Newsletters are sent out as Blind Carbon Copies so no one else on our mailing list sees your e-mail address. You can be taken off the list anytime you desire.
Stay tuned and watch us grow!
Kevin McHarg National Director Hero To Hero Team Canada
Page last updated: April 15/2011
