Operation Overseas Coupons "Coups for the Troops"

http://www.11alive.com/money/consumer/story.aspx?storyid=125168&catid=289

CANTON, Ga. -- On a recent afternoon, about a dozen Canton residents, mostly women, sat at a long cafeteria table and clipped thousands of coupons. "Coups for the Troops!!" laughed American Legion Auxiliary Post 45 President Jo Ann Agee.

The volunteers clip and snip current and recently expired coupons to send to military families at the bases overseas. They have adopted an Army Base in Ansbach, Germany where thousands of U.S. Military families are stationed. "Everyone uses coupons who lives overseas. When you first get to a base you have nothing but the clothes on your back. Your stuff takes 30 days to arrive if you're lucky. You have very little money to set up house, and the coupons are a godsend, said Michele Pierce, whose husband just retired from the Army.

She said the cost of living for military families stationed overseas can be prohibitive. "I know in Japan there was a story about a lady who was pregnant. She wanted a watermelon. It was $20.00 for just one watermelon!" she said.

Pierce said stores located on military bases will accept coupons that have expired up to 6 months ago. "Women use them very strategically there. If they have a $4.00 coupon for an item that costs $1.50, they can use what they call overage for $2.50 worth of meat to feed their family," she said.

Pierce said she is in frequent communication on the internet with her adopted families. "The base in Ansbach used close to 40 thousand dollars worth of coupons in one month alone. Forty thousand dollars they saved!" she said.

Auxiliary President Jo Ann Agee said she is honored to be able to help the military. "It's because of all they have done for us that we have the freedom to sit here and clip coupons," she said. We all get so busy in our day to day lives sometime people forget to think about our troops and their families they have to take care of."

To donate coupons, send them to

AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY POST 45
160 McCLURE ST,
CANTON, GA 30114
ATTENTION: OPERATION OVERSEAS COUPONS

To Adopt a Base: go to ocpnet.org