Business partners give to charities each month

Shop owners collect items for care packages for troops Lafayette — When Judy Lee Eldred and Una Lee Williams opened their shop, Judy and Una Lee’s Prim Pantry etc. LLC at Olde Lafayette Village in September, they made a commitment to help make things a little better for their family, friends and people they meet every day. To this end they choose a charity to support each month with a fund drive as well and a commitment to contribute a portion of each sale at the store. Their first month in business, they raised funds for the William Pierce Sr. Endowment Scholarship Fund at Sussex County Community College. Pierce was a local firefighter who died while at a fire in 2005. When it came time for choosing a charity for October, which is recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness month, the two had a more difficult time. “There are so many good causes out there and of course supporting Breast Cancer research and programs seemed the most likely,” said Williams, herself a breast cancer survivor. But both women are interested in the welfare of active-duty soldiers. Plans to raise funds to educate the caregivers of Wounded Warriors had previously been set for November through Operation Life Transformed. That led Eldred and Williams to a discussion about the troops who will spend Christmas a long way from home and hearth. Last fall Eldred had sent “care” packages to a friend’s deployed husband and wanted to continue sending packages to others. For packages to reach the troops by Christmas it is necessary to collect and send the items by mid-November. The two women decided this would be their October mission: to show support for the deployed troops on a bit larger scale. Choosing a cause During October and November Judy and Una Lee’s Prim Pantry etc. will be accepting items for their care packages suggested by the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) located at Picatinny Arsenal in Wharton. They will pack and send the “We Care” boxes to individual soldiers so the items can be distributed to their unit. Additional items or donations will be delivered to AUSA at Picatinny Arsenal in November. Some suggestions include: current magazines, crossword and puzzle books, games and specialty bath items like loofahs. Care packages to the troops have been described as “a hug in a box” by returning soldiers. A list of items needed is available at the store located in Olde Lafayette Village in building F on the lower level next to Everything Homemade. For information, call 973-383-0400 or e-mail the two business partners at primpantryetc@embarqmail.com.