| For
immediate release
November
8, 2004
Contact:
Donna
St. John
Heather Buckmaster
USO
Colorado Beef Council
703-908-6458
303-830-7892
dstjohn@uso.org
heatherb@cobeef.com
Operation
BEEF UP Our Troops
America's
Beef Producers Supply Beef Jerky to America's Troops
(
DENVER , Nov. 8, 2004 ) The Colorado Beef Council has joined
with the United Service Organizations (USO) to begin “Operation
BEEF UP Our Troops.” The program will supply high quality
beef jerky - one of the most requested items by troops -
to American service members overseas.
Every
month, the USO sends 20,000 to 30,000 care packages to American
troops overseas through “Operation USO Care Package.”
Currently, beef jerky is included in the care packages only
when the USO receives product donations, so this is an excellent
opportunity for America 's farming and ranching families,
who produce the best beef in the world, to say thank you
to the men and women in uniform by making a monetary donation
to “Operation BEEF UP Our Troops.” Other individuals
who want to support the troops also are encouraged to contribute
to the program.
“When
we learned from the USO that beef jerky was one of the most
requested items, we wanted to ensure that as many of our
troops as possible received it,” said Steve Gabel, chairman
of the Colorado Beef Council. “The Colorado Beef Council
has provided financial support to kick off the campaign,
but we are also working as a catalyst to help the USO reach
as many producers as possible so we can all have the opportunity
to donate.”
Beef
jerky funded through the program will feature a label with
the message, “Donated by America 's farming and ranching
families. We thank you for your service to our country.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.”
The
Colorado Beef Council is writing letters to all state beef
councils and state cattlemen's organizations asking for
their financial support of this program. Individual
producers and others may phone in donations through the
USO's customer service at (800) USO-SHOW (876-7469).
Callers need to specify that their donations are for “Operation
BEEF Up Our Troops.” Donations also can be made by
logging onto the USO's web site at www.uso.org
. In addition, donations can be mailed, noting
“beef jerky” in the check memo, to:
“Beef
Up Our Troops”
Operation
USO Care Package
PO
Box 8069
Topeka
, KS 66608
According
to Fred Lombardi, executive director for the Colorado Beef
Council, “We have already seen wonderful response from Colorado
producers, and we are looking forward to the same support
from other states' producers.”
For
more information on “Operation BEEF UP Our Troops” or to
download an easy form for mail-in donations, go to www.cobeef.com.
For additional information on the USO Care Package program,
go to www.usocares.org.
About
the USO
The
USO is chartered by Congress as a nonprofit charitable corporation
and is not a part of the United States government. The
mission of the USO is to provide morale, welfare and recreation-type
services to uniformed military personnel. The USO currently
operates 124 centers around the world, including five mobile
canteens, with 70 located in the continental United States
, three in the Caribbean and 46 overseas.
About
the Colorado Beef Council
The
Colorado Beef Council (CBC) is a Colorado government authority
charged with the promotion and marketing of beef and beef
products in Colorado . The Beef Checkoff Program, a $1 per
head assessment on the sale of cattle, funds the activities
of the CBC. The CBC uses beef checkoff dollars to increase
beef demand through programs of promotion, research and
education. An eight-member board of cattlemen and women,
representing the state's 15,000 beef producers, directs
the organization. |
