Twelve years ago,

Judy Seward and some other concerned citizens in Ironton decided to rally together for

troops in the Persian Gulf.

Through the graciousness of the community, many non-perishable items were collected and mailed overseas. Now that American soldiers are in a similar situation, Seward and others are once again calling for the community to show its support.

Beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, citizens will be on hand at the Operation Be Proud Enrichment Center in Ironton, collecting items for soldiers.

"We had it at the old Campbell School," Seward said of the drive held a dozen years ago. "We were very successful, so we decided to do it again."

Seward stressed that non-perishable items do not necessarily have to be food.

"We'll take paper, pens, pencils, anything they can use," she said.

Once the items are collected, Seward said they will be packaged and mailed to troops overseas. Each package will be addressed to an individual serviceman, but the contents are sure to be spread about a unit.

"You know how (servicemen) are. If they get something, they're bound to share it with others," she said. "If it

just cheers them up a little bit, we've accomplished something."

For more information, contact Seward at 534-1589.