For Immediate Release: October 2, 2017

TallGrass packs Soldier Boxes

Sending holiday shipment to troops on November 10
750 care packages sent since project began

Preparations for the holiday shipment of care packages to soldiers stationed in the Middle East are currently underway at TallGrass Aveda Spa and Salon in Evergreen. The Soldier Box Project collects and sends donations of personal care items to troops twice a year - at holiday time and again at Mother's Day/Father's Day. Each care package serves approximately 10 men and women service members in harm's way.

TallGrass is now accepting donations of travel size toiletries like those found in hotels, along with combs and brushes, razors, lip balm, toothpaste and toothbrushes, personal hygiene wipes, tampons and feminine hygiene pads, playing cards, and the winter season necessities of caps knitted with sand colored or camo yarn and heat packs for hands and feet, plus much-appreciated handwritten cards and letters. There are two donation drop-off locations in Evergreen - TallGrass at 997 Upper Bear Creek Road and Wild Game at 1204 Bergen Parkway. Packing Day is scheduled for Friday, November 10, at Wild Game, starting at 9:00 a.m. and volunteers are needed to help with setting up assembly lines and packing boxes.

"Without a doubt, the most appreciated items in our soldier boxes are the personal notes, cards and letters, especially those written by children," says TallGrass owner Gail Sharp. "We always hear from soldiers who tell us how much the notes mean to them." To thank them for their service and let our troops know they are not forgotten during the holiday season when they are away from home, the spa has a supply of blank cards that can be used to write notes and it offers Aveda travel size products for sale at its cost for purchase and donation to the project. Cash contributions to help cover the $16 per box shipping charge are welcome, too.

TallGrass has been coordinating the Soldier Box Project for eight years with guests, staff, area school children, members of local service organizations, and donors from throughout foothills communities collecting items during October for the pre-Veterans Day packing event. A typical shipment is usually about 30 boxes,but at holiday time 2015 in celebration of TallGrass's 20th anniversary, a goal of packing and shipping 100 boxes was set. "The community was so generous," says Ms. Sharp "that we had 60 volunteers packing boxes at Wild Game and we ended up sending 211 care packages." She estimates that 750 soldier boxes have been sent since the project began.

For more information, please visit TallGrassSpa.com or call 303-670-4444.

Contact: Denise Robert, Office 303-368-5208 / cell 303-570-7577