CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It started out a year ago with a branch manager at Carolina Postal Credit Union gathering goody bags for overseas soldiers and now this holiday season the venture has mushroomed in scope with 10 CUs across the state accumulating cargo vans of toiletries, foodstuffs and other gear for shipment to Iraq, Europe and Afghanistan.
"It really has been wonderful to see so many of our members along with high school groups, church organizations and ROTC units respond to this drive," declared Deb McLean, vice president-marketing & business development at Carolina Postal.
By the time the holidays are over, the participating CUs, she forecast, expect to ship 2,000 goody bags or boxes overseas in cooperation with USO, which has offices on military bases like the big Marine facility at Camp Lejune.
Recommended For You
Last year "Operation CU Troop" got a boost from numerous public service announcements, news accounts and radio station plugs "but this year's support is phenomenal," said Joy Watts, CEO of the $60 million Carolina Postal, which has been coordinating the collection, pickup and shipment effort.
For the Charlotte area, boxes of the material along with handwritten Christmas greeting cards from youngsters have been stored in Carolina Postal offices and in a nearby high school. Credit for starting Operation CU goes to CPCU High Point Branch Manager Nelle Baldwin who originated the shipment idea.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
