Tennessee National Guard service members and their spouses, members of the NASCAR community, USO volunteers and Jack Daniels employees will assemble 10,000 USO care packages at Earhart Campground East adjacent to Bristol Motor Speedway as part of the Jack Daniels/USO Toast to the Troops program. The event will be held prior to the Sharpie 500 race at Bristol on Aug. 22, and is the 11th stuffing party since Toast to the Troops was launched in 2005. Through Toast to the Troops, Jack Daniels collects personal messages of support, or toasts, to include in USO care packages. Following the care package stuffing party, ten-year Army veteran and country music star Craig Morgan will perform a free concert for all volunteers and fans attending the race. Citizens can go to www.jackdaniels.com to fill out the special toasts that will be included in USO care packages for troops deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq and other overseas locations, as well as troops arriving and departing on rest and recuperation (R&R) flights. The care packages, sponsored for $25 each, include approximately $75 worth of items requested by service members, such as prepaid international calling cards, toiletries, sunscreen, playing cards, disposable cameras and snacks. Due to heightened security, individuals can no longer send letters and packages addressed to Any Service Member. The Operation USO Care Package program is the best way to send a message of encouragement directly to a service member and provide a touch of home. The USO has distributed more than 1.5 million care packages since the programs inception in 2003. More information on the Operation USO Care Package program and other USO programs can be found at www.uso.org.
SPECIAL SCHEME: The familiar black background and white lettered #07 Jack Daniel’s Chevy will have a different look this weekend. In keeping with the same color scheme, the #07 Jack Daniels car will have a snow camo look in conjunction with their Toast to the Troops event taking place on Saturday, August 22. Fans are encouraged to stop by the Jack Daniels Experience throughout the weekend and fill out a personalized Salute Card that will be included in the package. In addition to the paint scheme, the team will also have a special pit wall banner to mark the occasion.(JD/RCR), see an image of the scheme on my #07 Team Schemes page.(8-18-2009)
