CONDITIONED RESPONSE COMMUNITY SENDS COOLING UNITS TO IRAQ.Byline: Amy Raisin raisin, in botany and cooking raisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried. Darvish Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - When sheriff's Deputy Artie Thompson started seeking donations last month to send air conditioners to U.S. troops in Iraq, he secretly feared there would be little response. But just one day after news of the Operation Air Conditioner effort hit the papers, the Santa Clarita Sheriff's Station already had received a batch of hand-delivered checks. In just three weeks, more than $13,500 has been collected locally for the nationwide campaign to make troops a little more comfortable in desert temperatures that have reached more than 120 degrees. ``At first, I figured I'd end up having to write a few checks myself, just to have something to turn in,'' said Thompson, who spent three months in the neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. country of Qatar as a U.S. Air Force reservist re·serv·ist n. A member of a military reserve. reservist Noun a member of a nation's military reserve Noun 1. in 2003. ``I got letters from grandmothers with $10 inside. I got checks from people who don't have loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl over there but just wanted to help,'' Thompson said. ``It was truly, truly overwhelming to see we have this kind of community involvement.'' Since the program was established in the summer of 2003, hundreds of new air-conditioning units have been transported to U.S. military facilities in Iraq. Through an arrangement with Operation Air Conditioner, Home Depot The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. Headquartered in Vinings, just outside Atlanta in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, Home Depot employs more than 355,000 people and operates 2,164 big-box sells the units at cost, for $78 each, and then a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. ships the units overseas. To donate, make checks payable to Operation Air Conditioner and mail them to the attention of Deputy Artie Thompson at the Santa Clarita sheriff's station, 23740 Magic Mountain Parkway, Santa Clarita, CA 91355. Amy Raisin Darvish, (661) 257-5254 amy.raisin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Deputy Artie Thompson holds just a few of the checks he received to buy air conditioners for troops stationed in Iraq. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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