‘Thank-A-Soldier’ fills boxes to lift troops’ spirits

During the Vietnam War, Burbank residents baked cookies and sent them packaged in film canisters to troops serving overseas, recalls Mickey DePalo, chairman of the city’s veterans committee and an Army veteran. He said he got some and so did some of his buddies who were from Burbank.

He was also “one of the fortunate ones” to get care packages and mail from his family.

“That mail from home means a lot,” DePalo said.

The effort was undertaken by, among others, Doris Vick, one of DePalo’s colleagues on the veterans committee and a veteran who served during World War II. They may not use film canisters anymore, opting for cardboard boxes instead, but this weekend marks the fifth year area locals will take up a similar effort to brighten the holidays for post-9/11-era service members.

On Saturday, community members and volunteers from various service organizations will gather to package up donated health and comfort items into U.S. Postal Service priority mailboxes as part of an annual “Thank-A-Soldier” event.

“It really speaks to how grateful our city is,” said Paul Sessum, team leader at the Burbank Keller Williams office, which sponsors the event and has hosted it in its parking lot at 401 S. First St. since 2011. “It’s not just the things in that box, it’s the energy ... and that’s our city.”

The event supports the nonprofit Hands Across the Battlefield, which was created after Sept. 11, 2001 by DePalo’s friend and fellow Vietnam veteran Marc Cutter, a Burbank High School alumnus who died in 2011, and Cutter’s wife, Karen.

Sessum said he expects hundreds of volunteers to fill nearly 1,000 boxes this year, up from fewer than 200 the first year.

“You should see my offices,” Sessum said. “They’re just packed full of stuff [for the troops].”

However, Sessum said it’s not about the number of boxes, but about who shows up to volunteer and about the community.

The event, which will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., is open to the public and will feature more than a packing party. There will be music performed by bands with members from the Keller Williams office in Glendale and a Wells Fargo office, as well as free food provided by Handy Market.

There will also be bounce houses and face-painting activities for children. Admission is free with a donation of cash or one of the simple items from the troop’s wish list, such as white crew socks, disposable razors, protein bars or paperback books. A full wish list is available online at the event’s Facebook page at https://bit.ly/kwthankasoldier.

Letters from local students will be included in the boxes and a letter writing-station at the event will allow residents to create their own messages of support for the troops. There will also be a photo booth with wacky props, Sessum said, and photos will be included in the care packages.

Though it’s called “Thank-A-Soldier,” it benefits members of all the military services, he said, not just the Army. He said a Marine Corps color guard will be on hand, and members of the other services will also be “milling around and taking part.”

Those who can’t show up on Saturday can still participate in the effort by dropping off donations in advance at one of Burbank’s Public Library branches, or four other locations.

• Keller Williams in Burbank at 401 S. First St.
• Keller Williams in Glendale at 889 American Way #408.
• Burbank City Federal Credit Union at 1800 Magnolia Blvd.
• Burbank Tennis Center at 1515 N. Glenoaks Blvd.

The care boxes go not just to local residents serving overseas, but to service members from other areas of Southern California, DePalo said. Donations have also come from as far away as Calabasas, where someone donated Girl Scout cookies, and San Diego, from which a bunch of paperback books were mailed, he said.

“Our goal is to get as many [boxes] out as we can prior to the holidays,” DePalo said, which he said means sending about 100 boxes a week. “It’s a big, community-wide effort.”

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Chad Garland, chad.garland@latimes.com

Twitter: @chadgarland