This month, Sandy Greenlee has received seven messages from U.S. troops serving overseas. They all thanked her for sending a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello Sandy,\u201d one memo started from an Air Force pilot serving in Afghanistan. \u201cYour message made me laugh. Thank you for that, and for my cup of coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greenlee started receiving troop letters earlier this year after she joined the Cup of Joe for a Joe program. Sponsored by Green Beans Coffee, the company operates cafes at military bases in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Djibouti East Africa, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Their online Cup of Joe for a Joe program was launched in 2009 as a way for civilians to show their appreciation to military personnel serving overseas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been doing this for a couple of months now,\u201d Greenlee said. \u201cIt just makes me feel so good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pfc. Andrew Layton, Greenlee\u2019s 24-year-old grandson, first informed her of the program after he received a free cup of coffee. To honor the troops, Greenlee immediately started giving.<\/p>\n
The idea is simple. People like Greenlee are able to make $2 donations to send a cup of coffee and a letter of thanks to a randomly selected service member overseas. Troops are then notified via email about the donation and can receive their cup of coffee on their base. Many respond to the donors with thank you notes, like Allen Garneau, a member of the Coast Guard stationed at Bagram Airfield.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning to you Sandy,\u201d he recently wrote. \u201cI first wish to thank you for your donation of coffee to us out here. It\u2019s one of those gifts we really do appreciate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Included in all her donation messages, Greenlee informs service members to keep an eye out for her grandson, who\u2019s stationed at Forward Operating Base Fenty near Jalalabad. In his response, Garneau said he would.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m at Bagram right now, but I expect to head out to Fenty for a mission in the next couple of weeks,\u201d he wrote. \u201cSo I\u2019ll be sure to keep my eyes open. I wish him a safe return to you soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so much fun hearing from the troops,\u201d said Greenlee. \u201cI\u2019ve even gained a few pen pals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Layton joined the Army in January 2013. He\u2019s been on a nine-month deployment since last October. As a gunner with the 22nd Engineer Clearance Company \u201cHooligan Nation,\u201d Layton is charged with clearing roads of improvised explosive devices, Greenlee said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy he\u2019s serving our country, but it\u2019s scary,\u201d she added. \u201cI\u2019ve told him, \u2018You\u2019re in God\u2019s hands.'\u201d<\/p>\n
Greenlee, wearing a RED Friday T-shirt, said she and the entire family are anxious for his safe return, including his wife, Kadee. The couple married last July.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember everyone deployed,\u201d Greenlee explained. \u201cThat\u2019s what the RED stands for. We wear these shirts every Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Cortez native, Layton\u2019s family members include father, Craig Layton; mother, Shannon Williamson; step-father, Charlie Williamson; and grandparents Sandy and Garth Greenlee and Darline and Jimmy Suckla.<\/p>\n
To learn more or to donate to the Cup of Joe for a Joe program, visit greenbeanscoffee.com\/coj.<\/p>\n