GRIMSBY Telegraph readers have been urged to donate biscuits, bandages and box fulls of morale as treats for the troops for Christmas.
Troops charity The Pink Berets will parcel up the gifts and aim to exceed their total of 1,200 parcels for servicemen and women which were sent last Christmas.
This year not only will troops serving in Afghanistan benefit from the parcels, but crews on board Royal Navy vessels will receive the gifts too.
Volunteers will pack the parcels at an event in St James' Hotel on Saturday, November 24 where supporters can take goods.
A total of £50,000 has been raised by the Pink Berets since they launched their appeal four years ago.
Thanks to the generosity of Grimsby Telegraph readers, the amount raised by the local fundraisers supporting Help For Heroes charity has increased every year.
Pink Berets events co-ordinator Tony Sullivan said: "We have been doing quite a lot throughout the year. Now we are organising our annual Treats For The Troops and hope people will support us again.
"The charity is gearing itself up for when the troops come home after 2014 and the focus will move towards providing welfare support for servicemen and women and their families when it happens."
He said the Help For Heroes charity will soon open a new rehabilitation centre at Catterick, in Yorkshire, where many of the servicemen and women from Lincolnshire are trained before being deployed in Afghanistan.
The Pink Berets hold the record for the most money raised by a local fundraising group through selling charity merchandise.
A total of £10,500 was raised in one day at the Waddington Air Show in the summer, and more than £16,000 was raised over the whole weekend, thanks to supporters buying T-shirts and tops and wristbands.
Grimsby-area supermarkets have also supported the appeal by providing trolleys for shoppers to fill with goods which are sent to Afghanistan.
Among those supporting the appeal locally are Aldi, Tesco and Asda.
Tom Hague, of The Pink Berets, said: "It is all down to the public. They are fantastic at giving. "
He said pupils at Signhills Academy, Caistor Yarborough Academy, Kettles funeral directors and Cristal Pigments UK had all supported the charity this year, as well as shoe shops throughout the borough which had given shoe boxes to hold the gifts.
They can also be handed in at Cleethorpes Number One bar, The Home Brew Centre in Freeman Street, Grimsby, and the Yes Chef Cafe in Hainton Avenue, Grimsby.
The packing event will take place from 10am to 2pm.
