Buy Coffee, Help the Troops

Buying coffee, whether it's a cup or a bag of beans, is part of the daily routine for many folks. But in Fort Oglethorpe, when you buy coffee, you could be helping our troops over seas through Operation Coffee Cup. 

Roger and Tyra Sherrill call themselves the grandparents the troops don't get to see everyday. After 9-11, they say they were inspired to do whatever they could to help the men and women fighting for our freedom.

"We just began to send boxes to people who were in our church, who had family who were in another country, Iraq and Afghanistan. We just didn't wanna stop. We felt like it was something we needed to do to help and this was one was they could help," said Roger Sherill, who started Operation Coffee Cup with his wife, Tyra.

For the last 7 years, every item in every box they sent over seas was paid for by them. Roger Sherrill says each box was packed full of canned goods, razors, wipes, crystal light and weighed in around 15 pounds.

Now, they've added coffee to the mix, but teaming up with the Fort Oglethorpe Starbucks was an accident at first.

"My wife contacted Starbucks to go down and pick up a pound. So we went down there and when we got there, next thing we know they had donated a lot! We came out of there with something like 25lbs of coffee," said Mr. Sherrill.

Now, they're project is called Operation Coffee Cup and it benefits Starbucks customers and the soldiers.

When you buy a one pound bad of coffee beans and donate it to the troops, you get a free cup of coffee of your choice. Then, the ground coffee beans are given to Operation Coffee Cup, who sends them over seas.

But, before the bags are sent, you can write a personal message on the bags. Tyra Sherrill says this project is something that comes straight from their hearts; theie way of thanking the troops.

"To us, its our mission. A lot of people say, well where does the money come from? The Lord provides it, so as long as He provides it, we'll send it," said Tyra Sherrill.

The Starbucks on Battlefield Parkway is, right now, the only store participating in Operation Coffee Cup. Wal-Mart and Ingles have also started making donations to the operation. If you'd like to help, or would like to have them send a box to a solider you know, contact Roger Sherrill at 423-316-9911 or email him at halojumper@chartner.net.