FeedsCoupon program earns praise from soldiers
Last Wednesday, a Westland senior group received an unexpected thank you for their ongoing efforts to support American troops in an unusual fashion: cutting coupons.
The weekly Coupons for Our Military program is a routine that is deeply ingrained for many of the participants—head for the Friendship Center early Wednesday morning, don’t forget to bring your scissors, and settle in for a long morning of talking, laughing, and snipping coupons that will be sent overseas for use by American military personnel at the on-base commissary in Wuerzburg, Germany.
Last week, however, that plan changed as U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Tony Messina, who currently serves in the Westland Army recruiting office, surprised about a dozen women with a thank you gift.
Esther Strohmer, the organizer of the group, approached him several weeks ago about the project, Messina said. He was very interested in offering the Army’s thanks to the members because he had seen firsthand how much of a financial impact efforts to provide soldiers overseas with coupons can have.
“I used them myself when I was in Germany and I would save $85-90 a month,” he said. “It does make a difference, especially for the younger guys with families.”
Although he originally considered creating certificates of recognition for each of the members of the group, Messina said that he decided to take it a step further and let some of the soldiers in Wuerzburg who benefit from the program give their own thanks. So about three weeks before the surprise visit, he mailed a World War II-style army-recruiting poster to friends who were still stationed in Germany on a base not too far from Wuerzburg and asked for their help. He wanted them to take the classic Uncle Sam poster to Wurtzberg commissary and ask the soldiers who were using the coupons to sign it.
Even with the help of his buddies, it was an ambitious project. The poster made it back to Messina only the day before his visit, but it was emblazoned with heartfelt thanks from about a dozen people directly touched by the group’s efforts.
“One of the guys who signed it said (the coupons) saved him about $250 per month,” Messina said.
According to Strohmer, the project was inspired by a woman in her neighborhood— a retired WAC— who worked tirelessly to collect coupons that could be sent to soldiers overseas and redeemed for savings on items in the stores on military bases. At her neighbor’s request, she began a collection site for the coupons at the H&R Block office she managed and things grew from there.
The Friendship Center program developed out of that effort in 2004 as Strohmer, sought to bring more people into the effort. As it turned out, her timing was perfect. Members of a senior group had recently been left without a project. The Coupons for Our Military program began in April of 2004 in an effort to offer seniors a new goal.
Since then, no one seems to know how many coupons have been donated to the military, but then, it’s the meaning behind the project that really matters to them.
“We just keep coming,” said Gloria Sanford, who has been with the program since its inception. “We’re proud of what we’re doing.”
Betty Smith, another original member, agreed.
“It’s fun to get together and do something worthwhile,” she said.
The combination of patriotism and socialization continues to draw new people into the project, too.
“I moved here from Royal Oak and I didn’t know anyone,” said Rosemary Allen, who joined the group about a year ago.
At that time, she said, she was looking primarily for something to do that would get her out of the house and help her meet new people.
“Now I even take coupons home to work on,” Allen said. “I probably do a half a pound a week.”
Individuals interested in additional information on the Coupons for Our Military program should contact the Friendship Center at (734) 722-7628.
