Thread: Donations for our men and women in Iraq and Afganastan

I have been reading several threads lately authored by our fighting men and women over in the middle east or just returning from there.

I think it would be great if we all can make some donations to a central person/place to build and send care packages for wet shaving to these brave people. Maybe we can also get some donations from our sponsors.

Please make your suggestions and or offerings here and maybe we can work out a process to get the stuff sent over.

I can offer any assistance to this process that may be needed after we determine a path forward.

Edit: Mods, can you please change the subject text to read 'Donations for our men and women in Iraq and Afganastan"! Thanks

Joe,

I'd love to contribute. Do you have a wish list, since I don't thing sending a sharpening stone would be of much use/advantage. I wouldn't mind purchasing something and having it sent, though.

Thanks!

Thanks Tom. I think you're correct in a hone not being the right thing to send. I am hoping we could get some ideas in this thread. Off the top of my head I'm thinking some stuff can be sent for use on the base for everyone to use like a few strops and barber hones that can be passed along from group to group. Soaps/creams and brushes may be an individual item. Maybe free honing and some straights. Some of the members have been sending straights to new users to be passed along to other new users. Maybe we can do that for the deployed men and women too. Lets make suggestions on what to send, who could donate what and where to coordinate the mailings. My thoughts are not to just send stuff over but when someone asks or just stops in to say hello we can have something in place already send. Having people over there ordering startup sets and waiting months for delivery only to find the razor isn't shave ready or purchased something from the list would be depressing to them. I'm thinking a package like what is in the SRP giveaway would be great to send those that make their desires known to us and are in an active war zone.

Although I don't like to part with any of my razors I can find it in my heart to donate a few to this cause that would be ready to shave with. I can't speak for CarrieM but I will ask her if she would donate some shave soap and shave creams, maybe even some bath soaps.

I'd be very happy to offer free honing/sharpening services for razors or other knives.

The idea of a "starter kit" sounds good, too. Let's see what some others come up with.

Well as a soldier over in Iraq I can offer a pretty unique perspective on all this lol. First thing is like you said there's a big delay in the mail to some places. Free honing services would be great but we'd have to set it up that if someone orders a razor to have it send directly to the honemaster first then get it shipped over here. Soaps, Brushes and Cups would be amazing to because there isn't anyplace to buy those items, best we can do is a can of shaving cream. And of course strops will always be needed. Also if you do get addresses you could post them here or in a seperate thread so that if 2 or more people are on the same base they could get together and share hones or strops.

Here are some thoughts. Maybe a set of hones kept at the base barber for use or the Barbers can learn to hone. A list of people offering free honing so they can be PMed for address (posting an address on an open forum is not a good idea) and/or recommendations and maybe a list of vendors that would have special offers for people deployed. If you can check out the possibilities of having vendors stock.sell items through the PX that would cut down on the shipping delays.

For starters I will offer free honing to people deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. PM me if interested. We will coordinate a list as more offers are made.

To all: Looking for suggestions for thread titles that would be easy for these service people to find that would list the people/vendors making specific offers as well as other offerings, suggestions,comments.

Originally Posted by Mythos

Well as a soldier over in Iraq I can offer a pretty unique perspective on all this lol. First thing is like you said there's a big delay in the mail to some places. Free honing services would be great but we'd have to set it up that if someone orders a razor to have it send directly to the honemaster first then get it shipped over here. Soaps, Brushes and Cups would be amazing to because there isn't anyplace to buy those items, best we can do is a can of shaving cream. And of course strops will always be needed. Also if you do get addresses you could post them here or in a seperate thread so that if 2 or more people are on the same base they could get together and share hones or strops.

Problem with the PX is that it's soldier run and very very small. That and all products have to come through the AAFES system which I don't think even has straight razor supplies. I see your point about posting addresses in a public forum. With the guys deployed though it would be easy to say like I'm at FOB Normandy Iraq. Nobody except deployed military would know where that is.

Joe, Mythos,

It looks like we have a good start!

I think we need "front men" like Mythos to spread the word around the base, and have those interested come to a place on the forum, maybe a new forum category labeled something to the effect of "active or deployed military SRP specials" where they can find the people and vendors participating in this idea.

Maybe we should talk to Lynn, Don or a moderator about this before we get too many ideas...

I'll definitely start talking to other people around the base. Luckily I'm getting ready to come home in a month or two so I'll get with the new unit and possibly post some flyers. See if anyone is interested in being a local connection.

Originally Posted by Mythos

I'll definitely start talking to other people around the base. Luckily I'm getting ready to come home in a month or two so I'll get with the new unit and possibly post some flyers. See if anyone is interested in being a local connection.

Thanks Mythos! Safe trip home. Once you get home drop me a PM and we'll take it from there.

I would still like to pursue putting a donation package together for other deployed people interested in straight shaving. So far Tom and I are the only people showing interest in contributing.

My suggestions for a path forward would be to identify people willing to make donations and the items they would offer. When candidates are identified and have a shipping address in Iraq or Afghanistan someone would contact the contributers and put the package together and mail.

I will offer several straight razors, free honing, a few barbers hones and some shave soap/cream. Unless someone offers to coordinate and send the packages I will offer to do that also. Since I started this thread I am hesitant to take on this role as it may be conceived as a scam, which in this world is understandable. Maybe a person that already offers services or vendor would better fit this role to add more creditability to the effort.

More of the same is welcome as well as strops and brushes or suggestions on how to obtain these items at a discount to have sent over and brands to consider for donations in starter sets.

Thanks Tom for adding your support to this effort!!