Afghanis distribute clothing contributed by generous donors such as those at TMI. Courtesy photo

During a cold spell in San Antonio, TMI Latin teacher Valerie Johnson happened to hear a radio commentary by Army Capt. Benjamin Tupper, a National Guard member from New York state, who has served for more than a year as a training officer in an Afghan National Army battalion. He provides commentary to National Public Radio and maintains a blog, where he has appealed to U.S. readers to help Afghans in another way.

“After I heard him on the radio, I Googled him and found his blog,” says Johnson. In one of Tupper’s more recent posts there, he told readers he had everything he needed but asked them to send a different kind of care package to his Afghan neighbors.

“While on a recent patrol through a small village, I witnessed something that profoundly affected me,” Tupper wrote. Though he and fellow soldiers are equipped with cold-weather clothing, local children are clothed in thin cotton, some without shoes. On winter missions, Tupper says, “I inevitably end up a shivering mass of flesh and body armor. Trekking through snow and ice, these children go about their daily business apparently oblivious to the cold. But we all know they are not oblivious to it; they are suffering through it.”

Also on his wish list were “old teddy bears, stuffed animals and Beanie Babies.” Children in the area where he serves “live a toy-free existence,” he wrote on his blog. “The smiles on the faces of the little boys and girls we give these out to are priceless. (At the risk of) sounding like a crybaby, I wipe away tears every time we hand these out.”

Sweets for the small, children receive candy as well as wearable donations. Courtesy photo

To raise funds for shipping costs, Johnson announced the need at a daily chapel service. “When Valerie asked for help with mailing the donations, the middle-school student council jumped on the project,” says Emmette Burton, their faculty sponsor. The council voted to contribute about $400, then led a schoolwide effort to collect more items.

The Leon Springs UPS store, at 24165 Interstate 10 West, contributed mailing boxes free of charge. As of the school’s mid-March spring break, TMI has shipped 20 boxes of clothing and toys to Tupper, who is working with other military personnel to distribute the items in other parts of the region.

“Every hat, teddy bear or pair of socks we hand out is a mortal hit on the Taliban,” Tupper posts. “It’s great for the kids who get the stuff and it’s equally great for us as we get the satisfaction of knowing we are leaving a positive impression with these Afghans, that Americans are not what the Taliban paints us to be.”

For information about donating items needed by Afghan children, send e-mail messages to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .