Chanticleer Store leads donation drive for soldiers in Kuwait

U.S. soldiers serving at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, will soon unpack care packages loaded with greatly needed items, thanks to an initiative led by the Chanticleer Store at Coastal Carolina University.

During the month of February, the store led a donation drive for the Adopt a U.S. Soldier (AAUSS) campaign. The program connects supportive civilians with deployed troops, designed to show appreciation and give encouragement to members of the military. The program is active in more than 170 countries, territories and independent states, and is run completely by volunteers.

According to store manager Zack Cafarelli, the Chanticleer Store was assigned the troop at Camp Buehring and was provided a list of hobbies, interests, and specially requested items such as socks, protein supplements and toiletries.

Cafarelli and his team set up donation bins in the store, and the staff of Kimbel Library also set up a donation station. Many other groups pitched in to help, including local youth ministries, student business organizations on campus and several University departments. As a result of this concerted effort, students, faculty, staff and the local community donated enough items to fill more than 30 boxes.

“We are extremely thrilled about the success of campaign and especially the response from the CCU community,” Cafarelli said.

More information regarding Adopt a U.S. Soldier can be found at adoptaussoldier.org.