Southborough resident sends pieces of home to troops
By Ken Powers Community Reporter

Southborough - Four years ago, Lisa Baccio sat in her living room with her husband, Matthew, looking at the website www.anysoldier. com and feeling helpless.

"We were just sitting there reading the requests of the soldiers, the stuff they needed or would like to have while they were in Iraq and Afghanistan defending our country and our freedom," Lisa said. "I told myself I had to do something. I had to help. Two weeks later, with the help of my husband, my son Robert and my neighbor Sheila Fucci, we sent 607 care packages to the troops."

The act of kindness wasn't a one-time thing. Since that day in 2005, Lisa and her friends have sent care packages to the U.S. troops every October and May. She figures she's sent more than 3,000 boxes of much-needed personal items overseas.

She will be at it again Saturday and Sunday May 17 and 18, as her band of volunteers will take over the Southborough Senior Center at 9 Cordaville Road for collecting, sorting and packaging boxes that will be loaded into postal service trucks and begin their journey overseas.

While Lisa organizes these community-wide drives twice a year, she sends shipments herself all throughout the year. By her calculations, she has sent 17 shipments of multiple boxes overseas to the troops.

The most requested items, Lisa said, are everyday personal-use items such as baby wipes, razors, shaving cream, toothpaste, toothbrushes, foot powder, unscented soap, shampoo, skin conditioner, sunscreen, candy, gum, snacks, cookies, drink mix, magazines, games adults would enjoy playing and paperback books.

"As much as all that stuff is needed and appreciated, what the troops really like getting is cards and letters," Lisa added. "A personal note from someone in the states that will remind them, when things get tough, that they haven't been forgotten. That they're not only remembered, but appreciated."

Lisa has had help with this shipment as Shrewsbury resident Bob Oetting, a former marine, has gotten involved.

Oetting has arranged for the senior centers in Westborough, Shrewsbury and Grafton, as well as the American Legion post in Northborough, to serve as drop-off locations.

Anyone wanting to donate items can drop them off before May 17 at those locations and Oetting will make sure they get delivered to the Southborough Senior Center in time to be sorted, packed and sent overseas.

Oetting, who collects used playing cards from casinos, said he got involved with Lisa after someone suggested her eff ort as a possible place to distribute the decks of cards he's collected.

"I've got about eight cases of playing cards and there's 144 decks in each case," he said. "I was planning to drop them off at the Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Walter Reed Army Hospital, but they told me they only want new, unused decks of cards. I didn't know what I was going to do with them until somebody suggested Lisa to me, and now we're going to send them abroad with the rest of the goodies."

Lisa said that radio station WROR will also be at the Southborough Senior Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 18 playing music and giving away hats, bumper stickers and T-shirts to those who drop by to visit.