Support the Troops License Plates Are Here!
Support the Troops
License Plates Are Here!
>>Valley Patriot>> |
“The displays got quite a bit of attention,” Wareing said. “The troops certainly seemed to appreciate it and that was all I really wanted to accomplish.” “I grew up during the Viet-Nam era and it broke my heart to see how our soldiers were treated. It should have been different. They should have been treated so much better and I want to make sure the men and women who are risking their lives to protect us here at home are treated with the dignity, respect and gratitude they deserve.” Wareing began to hold food drives in the local schools and malls around the Merrimack Valley, sending care packages directly to local men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Spending more than $10,000 of his own money, Wareing packaged the food and other items himself, paid for the postage and sent them off to distant battlefields where the individual soldiers were stationed. That’s when he says he came up with the idea of starting a non-profit group to raise money to help defray the cost of shipping packages overseas. Wareing established “New England Caring for our Military (NECFOM),” a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, and petitioned the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles to issue a license plate bearing an American eagle holding a yellow ribbon that says “Support the Troops.” “In order for the registry to issue the license plates, we need to get 3,000 people to sign up for them. Of the initial 3,000 license plate applications (which cost $40 a piece), about $12.00 will go to the Registry of Motor Vehicles for administrative costs and the other $28.00 will go to care packages for the troops,” Wareing said. Wareing
has already received 1,500 applications. “After the first 3,000 applications are turned in to the registry, the plates will be issued to the public and then 100% of the $40.00 application fee will go directly to the non profit.” Wareing said he often receives a personal “thank you” via email from individual soldiers stationed in the Middle East who live in and around the Merrimack Valley. He stays in touch with them, in between package deliveries, which are sent twice a month. “They really do appreciate the care packages, especially when they can make special requests for particular items via email and within a week or so they are enjoying a little bit of home when the package arrives.” Wareing recently found out that the United States Post Office donates boxes, tape and package labels for all care packages going to the military, lifting a tremendous financial burden from him and allowing more items to be shipped overseas with the money saved on supplies. Wareing said that some local schools, such as in Salem, N.H., Methuen, Lawrence and Haverhill, have already held several food drives. “I go into the schools and give the kids a list of what is appropriate to send and what isn’t, and how to separate the soap products from food items so that nothing is contaminated during the shipping process.” Wareing said he will not send food containing pork, religious items, pornography or anything that may inflame the religious extremists because it could make the troops a target of the locals they are working with and who are easily offended by such items. Because of his tireless efforts, Wareing was invited to meet U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his wife as part of the Defense Department’s “America Supports You program.” Created little more than a year ago, the America Supports You program recognizes the efforts of private citizens who support U.S. service members and their families. America Supports You has about 190 member groups across the country whose mission is to conduct letter-writing campaigns and send care packages to troops in the field. Before speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations last month, Rumsfeld and his wife thanked Wareing, saying, “It’s something the troops really appreciate!” Secretary Rumsfeld expressed gratitude to Wareing for his efforts and emphasized his “thanks to the people like you who make the decision to do it.” Rumsfeld was obviously impressed with the license plate and told Wareing, “I love that I got the chance to be with you.” “It was a great thrill to meet the Secretary,” Wareing said afterwards. Wareing says that he is seeking professionals to be on the board of directors of NECFOM and will screen people carefully to make sure they are dedicated to one mission and one mission only: supporting the troops. “The one thing I am not going to do is appoint politicians to the board. I don’t want politics to interfere with the mission of helping the soldiers,” he adds. “We are not going to pay anyone to be on this board,” Wareing insisted. “That only takes money and resources away from our soldiers. If we raise the money we are expecting from these plates, I would like to start setting up video conferences between soldiers and their families here at home and do whatever we can to help them while they are serving their country.” If there is any money left over after sending all the care packages and providing needed assistance to the troops and their families, Wareing says he will make funds available to other non-profit organizations that work with veterans. “But,” says Wareing, “there will be a very strict criteria as to how that money will be disbursed. Any organization receiving money must be a non-profit under IRS regulations. Also, I won’t give a dime to any non-profit if they pay their board members. I don’t want one dollar of this money to go to pay someone’s salary on a non-profit board. There’s just too much of that going on.” Wareing also says that organizations will not even be considered for funding if they do not consent to an independent yearly audit. Wareing said NECFOM will pay for the audits every year. “Support the Troops” license plate applications are inserted in this month’s edition of The Valley Patriot. Checks in the amount of $40.00 (per plate) should be made out to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, but send the money and application to NECFOM in Methuen at P.O. Box 2311, Methuen, MA 01844. You can visit New England Caring for our Military on line at: WWW.NECFOM.ORG, or send Jim Sergio-Wareing an email at UGOT2LOVEAMERICA@aol.com.Wareing’s niece, Jennifer Clegg, designed the artwork on the plate with an eagle holding a yellow ribbon that says “Support the Troops.” The
registry has to approve the design and may make minor
changes before the plates are issued. *Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com |
METHUEN - When Methuen native Jim
Sergio-Wareing found himself on disability after working
for years at Malden Mills, he says that he wanted to do
something constructive with his time. At first, Wareing
began to buy flags and “welcome home” banners,
hanging them on highway overpasses to greet local
military servicemen and women returning home. 