The Villages Stamp Club stepped up big time when members and supporters of the Puc Puggy Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution sought stamps.
The Puc Puggy Chapter is involved in a variety of community service programs, including assisting veterans. Obtaining stamps for the Stamps for the Wounded organization, which is then handed to veterans in hospitals around the country, has been one of the initiatives in which the group participates. According to Ten Gray, a member of the Puc Puggy Chapter who is heading the stamp donation initiative, stamps can enable bedridden people to establish a new pastime or interest to deal with boredom, idleness or loneliness.
Gray, of the Village of Gilchrist, learned about The Villages Stamp Club, also known as the Philatelic Club, from a neighbor. She asked for donations, and the club responded by donating approximately 30,000 stamps to the initiative.
“I was completely overwhelmed,” Gray said.
The stamp club’s president, R. Bruce Fisher III, thought the project was a worthy one, and he as well as the other members intended to help in whatever way they could, notably since many participants have an excess of stamps.
“We have a number of members who are veterans themselves that live in The Villages,” said Fisher, of the Village of Gilchrist. “It is a good thing to help the veterans do whatever projects they are interested in.”
At the beginning of August, Fisher and the members mailed the stamps to Gray. Gray is in the process of putting them together.
Gray was taken aback by the number of stamps she received from the stamp club members.
“I had no idea that I would get the response that I have,” she said. “I thought maybe I’d get 100, but 30,000 is off the charts.”
In the future, Fisher expects the club will gift additional stamps.
“I think other groups should try to help Teri Gray on this,” he said.
Gray is constantly on the lookout for more stamps to distribute to bereaved warriors.
“How many is too many?” Gray said.
Contact Gray at tsgray6226@gmail.com for more information on the Puc Puggy Chapter’s stamp drive and also the process of how to participate in donations.