This news item expired on Sunday, September 21, 2008 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
County employees will be collecting items that will be sent to our troops in Iraq for Christmas. We would like to invite the community to join us and make it “Christmas in September”. Just drop off items between September 2 - 30 at any of the locations listed below. 
The last day to drop off items will be September 30. These items will be boxed and shipped with the help of Operation Care Package and Old Dominion Freight Lines and will be delivered to our troops in time for Christmas.
Special thanks to the following companies for their donations to help make this possible:
- Old Dominion Freight Lines - Shipping
- Custom Packaging of Arden - boxes
- Standard Paper Sales - pallets
- Lowe's - West Asheville - shrink wrap
- Staples - packing tape
The following items are acceptable and much needed by our troops. They are the ONLY items that will be accepted.
- Protein Bars
- Batteries
- Jerky/Slim Jims
- Beef Sticks
- Pre-sweetened powdered Kool-Aid
- Kool-Aid singles or similar
- Gatorade
- Hot chocolate
- Hot cider packets
- Canned Fruit, Dried Fruit, Fruit Snacks
- Canned Hearty Soup, Ravioli and/or Stew
- Cup A Soup, Top Raman Noodles, Dinty Moore
- Trail Mix, Nuts, Sunflower Seeds
- Pre-Packaged Cookies
- Instant Oatmeal, Boxed Cereal
- Easy Mac & Cheese
- Microwave Popcorn
- Canned Tuna, Chicken
- Peanut Butter / Jelly (No Glass Please)
- Small boxes of crackers
- Multi-Vitamins
- Tylenol
Special Wants:
- Small Personal or Desk Fans
- Hand & Foot Warmers
- Hot Plates
- Small Coffee Grinder
- Twin Sheets Sets, Pillow cases, Travel Size Pillows
- Cool Scarves, Jogging Pants, Cool Max T-Shirts
- Wash Cloths, Bath Towels, Shave Towels
- Flashlights, Headlamps
- Leatherman
- New or Good Condition Books - Mystery, Western, Thriller, Sports, Inspirational (No Romance Please)
- Men's Deodorant, Shave Cream, Foot Powder, Odor Eaters
- Small size shampoos, conditioner, mouthwash
- Floss, lip balm, toothpaste, toothbrushes, nail clippers
- Sunblock, Mosquito repellent, Fly tape
- Wet Wipes, Anti-bacterial liquid soap
- New/Used DVDs / CDs
- Puzzle Books
- Pads of paper, Long Envelopes, Stamps
- Qt. / Gal Zip Lock Bags
- Hand Held Games, Hand held Mini fans, Misters
- Batteries AA/ AAA
- Cards games...UNO, Skip Bo
- Yahtzee, Board Games
- Sports equipment, Hacky Sacks
- X-Box & PS2 Games
- Men's White/Black Crew/ Work socks
- Under Armour Wear T-Shirts Sm., Med., Lg., Xlg.
- Phone Cards
- Thongs
- Sun glasses, Safety glasses
- Gloves
- 72" Boot Laces
Superbowl Sunday - Help us give them a day every American loves:
- Footballs, Nerf Balls, Sports Related Items
- New Football or Sports Magazines
- Salsa (in plastic - please), Tortilla Chips
- Summer Sausage, Small Boxes of Crackers
- Cheese (non-refrigerated)
- Plastic Football Bowls for Chips, Football Napkins
- Football Sports Flags or Banners
Holiday Needs:
- Summer sausage, Crackers, Canned Ham (Sm.)
- Lots Pre-packaged Cookies, Hot Chocolate, Coffee
- Chocolate Candy, Hard Candy
- Handmade or mini ornaments
- Small 18-22 inch Christmas Trees (Artificial)
- New or Handmade Blanket Throws
- Cards & letters of support
- Hand made kid’s pictures/ letters
- Small un-wrapped gifts
- Homemade / bought stockings / Mini or regular size
Please bring any of the above items to one of the drop off points listed below between September 2 and September 30.
Drop-off locations:
- Buncombe County Libraries - call the libraries or check buncombecounty.org/library for operating hours.
- East Asheville - 250-4738
- Enka-Candler - 250-4758
- Fairview - 250-6484
- Law Library (Courthouse) - 250-4734
- Leicester - 250-6480
- Pack Memorial - 250-4700
- North Asheville - 250-4752
- Oakley - 250-4754
- Skyland - 250-6488
- Swannanoa - 250-6486
- Weaverville - 250-6482
- West Asheville - 250-4750
- Courthouse - Commissioners Office, 2nd floor (Room 206) - 250-4009
- Election Services - 189 College Street (Lobby)