Maine Credit Unions Helping Troops, Families Stay in Touch

WESTBROOK, Maine – As a continued show of support for U.S. troops on active duty, Maine credit unions have once again teamed up to jumpstart the “Operation Phone Home” program. From January 5 – 25, credit unions across Maine will be collecting phone cards and cash for “Operation Phone Home 2004 – A New Resolve.” All phone cards and funds collected will then be donated to the USO to distribute to troops and their families. MCUL’s goal is to collect at least 100,000 minutes. According to Maine Credit Union League Governmental & Public Affairs Manager Jon Paradise, the increasing number of Maine Reservists recently being activated and deployed prompted the move. A similar campaign last spring resulted in Maine credit unions collecting over 401,000 minutes of calling time- the third highest donation of phone cards in the nation behind only Wal-mart and Verizon. “From all indications, the need for phone cards is greater now than it was even last April. Phone cards will be used for not only troops to call their families but also for families to call other family members for support while their loved ones are deployed in the Middle East and other locales,” said Paradise. “Operation Phone Home 2004 – A New Resolve is not about whether people do or do not support military policy, it’s about supporting our troops and their families.”