Holidays
Happy belated Thanksgiving! We are very grateful that we were able to spend the holiday with our families! We are also grateful to all the men and women who have served and who are currently serving our country! Thank you!
Wow! It’s been crazy around here. Finally settling in to our apartment and traveling home for the holidays. Not to mention wrapping up the 2013 Marshall Plan. We’ve finally gotten around to sending our package out to the Marine the Marshall Plan is named after. Each year after the delivery, we put together a box of Tastykakes and gift cards to send to Marshall and his family. So, they should be receiving it soon!
With Hanukkah here and Christmas right around the corner, you can send holiday mail to the troops. The Red Cross has a program called Holiday Mail for Heroes. The deadline is December 6, 2013! Soon! So, send some cards out quickly! There’s a list of guidelines on the website (use generic salutations, no glitter, no inserts of any kind, etc.). Please follow the guidelines! The address is Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456.
Kait
Letter of Success
Here’s our letter of success that we sent in to the local papers to let our supporters know how our delivery went and to thank all who made generous donations to our cause!
LehighValleyLive.com published our letter… however, it looks like they got Linda’s name wrong… Oops! Anyway, here’s the letter:
LETTER: Successful delivery to Walter Reed
Thanks again to all who donated and supported us in our 3rd year of collection Tastykakes for our wounded warriors!
Kait
The Delivery 2013
Wow! What a delivery! I apologize that this has taken me so long to post, but it’s done. Here’s how our delivery went down!
Our delivery went very well this year. Once again, this year, we collected roughly 1500 boxes of Tastykakes and over $10k! It was another successful year. Thank you all for your support!
The ride began on Saturday, October 12, 2013. Dave and Bob began their 3 day, 200 mile bicycle journey from Bethlehem, PA to Bethesda, MD. The weather held out for them. It was a bit muddy on the bike trail on day 2, but it wasn’t terrible. They were tired and a bit sore, but they arrived at their destination safe and sound, and in great time too.
Dave and Bob ready to start their 200 mile ride!
Courtesy of Kym. On their way!
On Monday, October 14, 2013, Linda, my husband, and I drove down to Bethesda, along with Tom and Gannon and our trailer of Tastykakes. We met up at our hotel with Dave and Bob. My husband and I finished writing the value of the gift cards on them and then we got ready to head out to dinner.
One of over $8k worth of gift cards!
We got ready and walked to our traditional pre-delivery dinner location: The Tavern at Fire Station 1! We had a great time and good food. It was a nice way to celebrate another successful collection of Tastykakes to support our troops.
Fire Station 1, Silver Spring, MD. Site of our traditional pre-delivery dinner.
We woke up at a decent hour on Tuesday, October 15, 2013, to get ready for our 3rd delivery of Tastykakes and gift cards to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. One we arrived at Walter Reed, we headed straight for the loading dock so we could unload hundreds and hundreds of Tastykakes. We had a lot of help from some wonderful civilian and military employees of the hospital.
Trailer full of Tastykakes!
Unloading…
Lots of Tastykakes!
Even more…
Unloaded and waiting to transport them into the building.
Once we had all of the Tastykakes unloaded and on the loading dock, we put them on dollies and transported them to the lobby where the events staff at Walter Reed already had a table set up for us. We were set up right across from the Warrior Cafe. There was also another table set up in the lobby with a birthday cake for the US Navy’s 238th birthday (Happy Belated Birthday, US Navy)! We hung up our banner that Kari made for us this year on our table, got the gift cards out, the Tastykake t-shirts, and we started to unbox a bunch of cases of Tastykakes and set them up on the table.
Setting up!
Hanging up the banner.
Setting up our table.
Once we were set up, we started handing out our donated items to wounded warriors and troops who walked by. It was nice to hand out Tastykakes and interact with many of the men and women who serve and sacrificed so much for our country. We had many come by who never heard of Tastykakes or who heard of them but never tried them. We had some come by who loved Tastykakes and found their favorites. We even had a few boxes of PowerBars donated this year. Those went very quickly, as many of these wounded warriors wanted to watch what they eat and stay in shape. The gift cards were extremely popular as well.
We were set up from 10am until 1:30pm, so we hit the lunch time rush right in front of the Warrior Cafe. We were also set up when the Navy had their cake cutting ceremony for the Navy’s 238th birthday. So, we received quite a bit of exposure. We even had some wounded warriors and their families coming back for more Tastykakes because they love them so much!
A nice note from the person who donated this box of Tastykakes.
Gannon with Tastykakes and Tastykake t-shirts!
Handing out Tastykakes.
Some of the many boxes of Tastykakes that were donated.
Our set up.
We passed out a lot of Tastykakes, but we still had a lot more in boxes!
One of our signs.
Another nice note from someone who donated Tastykakes!
I enjoyed finding these boxes of Tastykakes with notes written on them for the wounded warriors. How sweet.
By the end of our time at Walter Reed, we still had a ton of Tastykakes left to hand out, so with the help of the events staff, we filled up our table again with Tastykakes – sky high – and left them out for wounded warriors to take as they passed through the area. We made sure the gift cards were handed out to wounded warriors and their families. We hope the Tastykakes were thoroughly enjoyed!
Our table stacked sky high with Tastykakes.
We had a wonderful day. It was humbling and moving to be able to hand out Tastykakes to the many men and women who serve our country. The Walter Reed staff was fantastic to work with. It was awesome to interact with so many service men and women. We had a fun. It was a very good day.
We are very grateful for the experience we had and we are very grateful to all who serve and sacrifice for our country. We are thrilled to be able to show our appreciation and gratitude in a small way, but this can’t begin to explain how grateful we truly are to everyone serving our country, past and present.
Thank you to Walter Reed for being very accommodating!
Thank YOU for all your support and donations to make 2013 another fantastic delivery!
and a BIG THANK YOU to all our service men and women who sacrifice so much for us!
Thank you!
Kait
Sweet Success
Today was a sweet success!
I will update about our journey and share picture with you soon!
Thank you for all your support, it helped make this another successful year!
Kait
Day 2
Bob and Dave arrived safely at their first stop on their 200 mile bike ride yesterday evening!
Today is a new day and another long ride for them. Here’s to them having a safe ride and hoping the weather holds out for them!
Here’s a short video from when Bob and Dave left yesterday.
By the way, did you listen to B101 Philly the other morning? I was on! Apparently, they aired the interview Friday morning. I thought it was going to be Thursday morning, oops!
Kait
Tomorrow
Tomorrow is the big day! The journey from Bethlehem to Bethesda starts tomorrow! Bob and Dave will be leaving in the morning for Day 1 of the ride. The weather has been rainy here the last couple of days, so lets hope it holds off and they have great weather for their 3 day ride!
Today, Dave and Bob collected the Tastykakes and have them all ready to be loaded into the trailer to drive down to Bethesda. We have lots of Tastykakes! Here are a few pictures from today:
Bob and Dave with some donated Tastykakes that were wrapped up nicely.
Lots of Tastykakes!
More Tastykakes!
And…Even more Tastykakes!
We still have a handful of Tastykakes to be added to that pile! And Flowers Foods sent their donation of Tastykakes directly to Walter Reed for us to be delivered Tuesday morning when we hand out the cakes! Awesome!
Linda also went out to purchase $8k worth of gift cards to hand out with the Tastykakes. Here’s a few pictures of just a handful of the gift cards! There are quite a few more!
A bunch of the gift cards we will be handing out.
We are ready! This is going to be a great event! Thank you all so much for your donations. It’s not too late to donate, we are still accepting monetary donations. You can mail a check to: The Marshall Plan, PO Box 332, Bethlehem, PA 18016 or you can donate via PayPal (see our donate page). Remember, you don’t need a PayPal account to donate through PayPal.
Thank you!
Kait
The Date is Set!
We have a date! We are all set and approved! Now it’s time to spread the word!
We will be delivering Tastykakes to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on October 15!
Below is our press release. It will also be posted on our Press Release page.
THE MARSHALL PLAN COLLECTING TASTYKAKES AND DONATIONS FOR US TROOPS
Lehigh Valley, PA, August 28, 2013 – When Kaitlin Reinbold’s Marine boyfriend was stationed in Afghanistan in 2011, she sent care packages to remind him of home. Tastykakes were the most popular items with the Marines, particularly with one named Marshall, who had never had them before. In June 2011, Marshall was severely injured by an I.E.D. He endured surgeries, rehabilitation and physical therapy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
Marshall’s story inspired Bob Price, a friend of Kaitlin’s family, with an idea: to show wounded warriors our gratitude and respect by delivering boxes of Tastykakes to Walter Reed. “The Marshall Plan” came together. In October 2011, Bob and Dave Reinbold, Kaitlin’s father, rode on bicycles from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to Bethesda, Maryland – 200 miles – followed by the Tastykakes and the rest of the team by car a few days later. The Plan was successfully repeated in October of 2012.
Over the last two years, the Marshall Plan has delivered more than 3,000 boxes of Tastykakes and over $20,000 in monetary donations, most of which was used to purchase gift cards for wounded warriors and their families.
The Marshall Plan succeeded because of the kindness and generosity of family members, friends and citizens of the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas. Support also came from Team Capital Bank, The Tasty Baking Company/Flowers Foods, and especially Lehigh Valley Tastykake Sales Distributors who were quick to respond with a generous donation.
The Marshall Plan is gearing up to repeat the drive to support our wounded troops. The delivery to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland is scheduled for the week of October 14, 2013. Fresh Tastykakes can be dropped off at any Team Capital Bank location from Monday, September 30 through Wednesday, October 9. Monetary contributions can be mailed to: The Marshall Plan, P.O. Box 332, Bethlehem, PA 18016.
**To learn more about The Marshall Plan, see photos and information about efforts to aid our military, visit www.SweetThanks4Troops.com
I hope you all enjoy your weekend!
Kait
Armed Forces Day
Military Appreciation Month isn’t just Military Spouse Appreciation Day and Memorial Day. It includes Armed Forces Week and Armed Forces Day!
Today, May 18, 2013 is Armed Forces Day. And this year Armed Forces Week is Saturday, May 11 to Sunday, May 19. Armed Forces Week starts on the 2nd Saturday on May and ends on the 3rd Sunday.
Armed Forces Day was formed to celebrate all 5 branches of our military in one day instead of having 5 separate days. It has been observed for over 60 years!
Today is a day to honor everyone serving in the 5 branches of the US military. Let the military hero in your life know you appreciate them today and everyday!
Happy Armed Forces Day! Thank you to all who serve!
Here’s a great photo the U.S. Coast Guard posted on their Facebook page today:
And here’s a great photo that the USO posted on their Facebook page today as well:
For more info on Armed Forces Day and Armed Forces Week check out some info on Wikipedia and the History of Armed Forces Day on the Department of Defense’s website.
Kait
Donations, The Express-Times, and a Love Story…
Great news! We have some donations coming in and our Tastykake drive starts on Monday, Oct. 1! Please donate!
Yesterday, I spoke with 2 local newspapers: The Express-Times and The Morning Call. The Express-Times published an article about us on their website this morning! Here’s the link: Tastykake drive for troops kicks off Monday. The Morning Call will be publishing an article about us on their website shortly and will publish it in their newspaper on Tuesday!
I’m sure many of you have seen this true American love story gone viral. I’ve seen it all over the internet lately and I love it. Here are the 22 pictures that share Taylor Morris and Danielle Kelly’s truly inspiring love story. This is what true love is. A Love Story in 22 Pictures.
It’s true what they say, a picture really does speak 1000 words.
To add to the 22 pictures of that wonderful story, here’s an article from The Huffington Post about Taylor and Danielle, AND a video of them dancing together. It’s too great to not share. Taylor Morris, Quadruple Amputee, Dances with Girlfriend Danielle Kelly (VIDEO)
9/11, Suicide Prevention Month
Hey all!
All our donation info is up! You can send checks to: The Marshall Plan, PO Box 285, Bethlehem, PA 18016. You can donate via PayPal (see button below), or you can drop off boxes of Tastykakes from October 1, 2012 to October 10, 2012 at any of these Team Capital Bank locations:
1901 Hamilton Street
Allentown, PA 18104
2151 Emrick Boulevard
Bethlehem, PA 18020
4285 West Tilghman Street
Allentown, PA 18104
It’s crazy to think that it’s been over 11 years since 9/11/01. I remember it just like yesterday, as I’m sure most people do who were old enough to understand something major and awful was going on when it happened. I hope to someday get a chance to visit the Freedom Tower and the memorial in NYC. My mom, Linda, and my sister, Meg, were just there recently. Here’s a picture from their visit:
We will never forget. Our thoughts and prayers are and will always be with those affected by the events of that day.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide is a serious issue. It shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please,seek help. Here are some ways from the Wounded Warrior Project to help yourself or a loved one: September is National Suicide Prevention Month.
Here’s a story of how true love always survives: Marine Couple Overcomes Combat Wounds
Don’t forget to donate!
Kait
Dogs and Vets
We got the go ahead from WRNMMCB for The Marshall Plan 2.0. We just need to figure out the logistics now!
To continue the theme from the last blog post… I stumbled across a couple of books about man’s best friend and the military. They both look good! I need to add them to my book list.
Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Fmr Capt. Luis Carlos Montalvan with Bret Witter
Soldier Dogs: The Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes by Maria Goodavage
In other news… The Veterans Skills to Jobs Act made advances last week. The House passed it on July 10th. Here’s an article from The Washington Post going into more detail: Veterans job qualifications bill advances
Good stuff. We’ll keep you posted.
Kait
Alive Day
Don’t worry I haven’t forgotten about you! Just been a little busy lately… had family in town and picking up some more hours at work… but that’s not important.
Today is important, however… the Marine that inspired this project, who we’d like to remain known only as Marshall, today is his Alive Day! It’s been 1 year since he was seriously injured while serving in Afghanistan. He is extremely dedicated and has come a long way over the last year. We are so proud and so grateful. We are inspired by Marshall and the many other wounded warriors of this country who refuse to give up and give everyday 110%.
Thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for your inspiration.
Kait
Welcome Home, Sgt. Keys!
This weekend, the Lehigh Valley welcomed home a true hero. One I’ve blogged about before. Sgt. Adam Keys from Whitehall, PA.
Here are pictures, a video and an article from The Morning Call about his homecoming. Wish I could’ve been there.
The article and video: Wounded Whitehall soldier comes home to hero’s welcome
The pictures: Pictures: Adam Keys homecoming
And an article and video from The Express Times;…
Whitehall Township soldier injured in Afghanistan gets hero’s welcome home
Welcome home, Sgt. Keys! Thank you!
Kait
Honor, a Contest and a Celeb
Yesterday was National Medal of Honor Day and here is an awesome picture courtesy of The Patriot Brass Ensemble’s Facebook page… The oldest and youngest Medal of Honor recipients together…
Here’s a pretty cool contest from The USO and Battleship. Battleship|USO Real Heroes. You share a story of a real military hero in your life for a chance to win a hometown screening of the movie “Battleship”. Pretty cool. Even if you don’t have a story to share, there are plenty of great stories to read!
The lead singer of Creed, Scott Stapp, went to Japan to thank our troops for their efforts in the earthquake relief. Here’s the story: Creed singer visits Yokosuka to thank troops for earthquake relief efforts
Love all this stuff!
Kait
WWP Letter
The other day I mentioned that we received a thank you note from the Wounded Warrior Project for our donation. The letter was very nice. Here’s a picture of the letter (sorry the quality is a little sucky).
Thank you from the WWP.
Kait
“Our Turn to Serve”
Recently when I was out to eat at a local restaurant, I reached for the ketchup and notices on the Heinz Ketchup bottle it said “Our Turn To Serve.” So, I gave it a closer look.
This is what the ketchup bottle looks like… Maybe you’ve seen these already…
(Pictures from philanthropyink.com)
Anyway, I think this is a pretty cool thing for Heinz to do. Team up with the USO and Wounded Warrior Project to thank our vets. The back of the bottle mentions ways to help along with their website. You can send a thank you note to a vet through Heinz’s website and they are also donating 57 cents to the Wounded Warrior Project for every thank you note sent and for every ‘Like’ on their Facebook page.
Easy ways to help out. Easy ways for you to get involved. It only takes a few minutes to do. Get on it!
Thank you, Heinz Ketchup, for supporting our troops.
Kait
Wreaths Across America Day
It’s Wreaths Across America Day. Today all across the nation, people laid wreaths on veteran’s grave sites to honor and thank them. I think this is really cool. Here are a few links to articles about Wreath Across America celebrations across the country today.
Volunteers lay 100,000 wreaths at Arlington cemetery
Volunteers lay 31k wreaths at Wreath Across America celebration in Houston
Wreaths Across America honors, thanks veterans during its sixth annual ceremony
Hundreds turn out for Wreaths Across America in
And of course, here’s the link to the Wreaths Across America site.
Always thank and always honor.
Thank you.
Kait
Editorial Published
The Morning Call finally got around to publishing our editorial thank you to the community for their support and generosity in helping make The Marshall Plan a great success!
It’s short and sweet, and hopefully, it expresses our gratitude appropriately. Check it out here!
Kait
2 Letters
Earlier this week, we received 2 letters in the mail.
The first letter was from our contact person from the company we sent a case of Tastykakes to that is currently in Afghanistan. It was a very nice letter thanking us for what we did and our support for troops at home and abroad. It also told us how much receiving packages is appreciated and how the Marines eyes light up when mail comes. We received the letter very quickly as mail getting to Afghanistan can take a while. But it was very nice to receive the letter. We hope they will enjoy the 30lb holiday themed care package we just sent them earlier this week just as much if not more!
The second letter we received was from a Rear Admiral at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, thanking us for our donation of Tastykakes and gift cards. It was great to receive a letter from them knowing that our donation was received beyond our unloading of the trailer.
If you want to let our troops know you care, one way you can do that is by sending care packages! A great site to get addresses for our troops overseas is anysoldier.com. You can get addresses for any branch of our armed forces, some are large units, some are small, some are looking for certain items, others are not. It’s definitely worth checking it. Spread a little holiday cheer!
Kait
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! I had a great time spending it with family and finally getting a chance to introduce my boyfriend to the family as well. I’m so very grateful for so many things… family, friends, health, happiness, employment, and of course, our troops.
On Thanksgiving, President Obama made calls to our troops from the oval office: 
(Joining Forces: Taking Action to Serve America’s Military Families)
Also check out: Michelle Obama thanks a hero.
Thanksgiving may be over, but don’t forget to thank a hero when you get a chance!
Happy Thanksgiving… a little late!
Kait
Notes from the Community
We received a lot of notes and letters along with donations telling us what people thought of our project…
Here are some of the notes…
“Good Folks,
What you are doing is wonderful – it is the true American spirit.
Thanks you for all your efforts,
Lorraine & Ed”
“This ‘Marshall Plan’ that sends Tastykakes to Walter Reed is a wonderful idea. Thanks to all the soldiers and their families. God bless! – Anne”
“Good luck with this effort! – Leslie & Rick”
“Bob,
Thanks for doing this! We need more people to come up with ideas on how we can help our service people.
Larry”
“Just a note to say thank you. I have a grandson in Afghanistan – career man (6 years). – Doris”
“What a great idea! Thank you for sharing this idea. We owe our soldiers so much. God bless! – Linda”
“Dear Kaitlin, David, Linda & Bob,
What a great uplifting idea for our wounded troops! Thanks for putting it together for them. May the Lord bless your effort.
Sincerely,
Mike & Mari-Cay”
“Just a little help from a WWII Vet. Lots of Luck! – Oland”
“Keep up the good work. – Fred”
“Best of luck on your adventure! Thank you, Pat & Wanda”
We received such a great response from the community. We are very grateful for their donations and support. Thank you.
Kait
Ready to Go!
Bob and dad made it safe and sound to Cockeysville, MD last night. They got to the hotel around 6:20pm. They left that morning around 9:30am. They said it was a long rough ride because of the winds. They were beat.
They left a little after 9 this morning and will be arriving in Bethesda this evening and so will we!
We’re leaving here in about 2 hours. It should take us a little over 3 hours to get to Bethesda. We are meeting dad and Bob at the hotel and the truck driver and his wife too. My cousin who moved to MD a few months ago is going to meet us there as well and we’re all going to head out to grab some dinner. We’ll probably just hang around the hotel the rest of the night.
Tomorrow is the big day! We’re heading to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda at 10am to deliver the Tastykakes and gift cards! Can’t wait! I’m pretty excited about it.
I don’t get the Express Times, but I heard that we made their Saturday paper! Awesome!
It’s been really great and quite moving to see the response we’ve been getting to this. I didn’t expect it. We’ve exceed our expectations. We’ve exceeded our goals. All thanks to you. So, thank you.
Kait
Day 1 Down, 2 to Go!
Dad called a little after 5PM. After needing for the tool kit to fix a clamp 2 hours into the ride and only one thunderstorm, he and Bob made it to destination #1, New Holland, PA, safe and sound! It was a long day and they’re a bit tired, but it’s one day down, 2 to go! And all for a good cause, right?
Heard from one of our contact people at Walter Reed-Bethesda. We figured out the logistics and got everything straightened out and ready to go. It was really pretty simple. So, I believe we are all set for our Monday delivery! Can’t wait!
Even though we loaded the truck yesterday, we were still collecting donations today. We have around 80 boxes of Tastykakes sitting in our front room right now and I know Team Capital Bank has been getting Tastykake donations all day. We definitely have well over 1000 boxes! Awesome!
We are going to pick up some more gift cards tomorrow and then we are pretty much set to travel down to Bethesda Sunday afternoon!
80 or so more boxes of Tastykakes!
Thank you for all the donations. (It’s still not to late if you’d like to contribute!)
Kait
36 Cases of Tastykakes…
…piled in one car.
Mom and I headed to the local Tastykake distributors today to pick up the very nice donation they made to us! 36 cases…That’s roughly 648 boxes of Tastykakes! Crazy!
We both drove to get the Tastykakes in case mom’s SUV wasn’t big enough. We managed to fit them all in though… with a little room to spare. We probably could’ve fit 4 or 5 more cases.
This afternoon, mom and Bob are off to take the Tastykakes to get loaded in the truck, so we can be all ready for delivery day!
Here’s what mom’s car looks like with 36 cases of Tastykakes…
Piled in! Good thing dad took the back seats out.
I had to get in on this. Please ignore that the box says "this side up"...
I bought a copy of The Bethlehem Press yesterday to see if we made it in… particularly their “Good Causes” column, but I found nothing. Disappointing. Oh well. B104 pulled through for us though! Yeah!
You should definitely check out B104’s Facebook page today!
I am pumped!
Kait
PS. If you have any problems with the website or PayPal, shoot me an email!
Sweet Thanks for Troops: The Marshall Plan 