Beef 'N Up The Troops' Morale

Beef N Up The Troops Morale AG WORLD Ag World One Iowa-made beef stick may not seem like a lot but it s a very welcome taste of home for service people stationed in Iraq Afghanistan and other overseas bases The Beef N Up the Troops program provides an opportunity for all Americans to help send the tasty treats overseas
     Soldiers say their favorite treats are beef sticks and powder to make flavored water says Dee Ann Paulsrud Danbury Iowa
    Since November 2006 Paulsrud and her husband Ted have collected donations and arranged for beef sticks to be shipped to soldiers The Iowa cattle growers who have a 150-cow Angus herd and 150-head feedlot took over the program which was started by the Iowa Cattlemen s Association
     What fuels my passion is that my dad was in WWII she says Dad would have loved to have had beef sticks from home Paulsrud s husband and son also served in the National Guard in past years
    Thanks to a team of volunteers all contributions go toward the cost of the beef sticks; there are no wages for anyone or transportation costs
    People send Paulsrud money and when there is enough to pay for at least 3 000 beef sticks at a bulk order rate of 69 cents/apiece she calls Triple T Specialty Meats in Ackley Iowa When the sticks are ready - individually vacuum sealed and packed 300/box - they are trucked by Fareway Stores to the 185th Air Refueling base in Sioux City and then loaded into the belly of a plane shipped overseas and distributed to U S soldiers
    As of the first of this year 81 000 sticks have been distributed since November 2006 Paulsrud often called the Beef Stick Lady typically spends 3 to 5 hrs a day on the program She sorts mail works on the computer does interviews with media to spread the story and makes deposits into an account for the program
    Amid the checks she receives in the mail are letters from grateful recipients One soldier slipped a beef stick into his pocket for a snack while on a mission Instead it ended up being the only food he had in 12 hrs
    The beef stick wrapper includes ingredients and USDA info It also says something that Paulsrud feels sums up the reason she loves the program: This gift is a token of our respect and appreciation for defending America s freedom
    Sending soldiers beef sticks is a simple way of remembering their sacrifice and showing appreciation
    She invites people interested in supporting the project to write or call her or send a check to The Beef Stick Lady 4980 320th St Danbury Iowa 51019 ph 712 883-2249

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