HAGERSTOWN, MD - Inmates at the Roxbury Correctional Institution are sending supplies to the troops in Afghanistan. All of the men helping once served in the military, but they are now behind bars. They men are apart of the Incarcerated Veterans of Roxbury (IVOR).
"What it means for the people in this institution, the staff and the inmates is that we seem to see a need and we're fulfilling that need," says Scherreol Link, a member of IVOR.
The men have been collecting the items from August to September, which include toys, deodorant, soaps, and more. Most of the items are requests made by the troops. The volunteer coordinator at RCI located some of the Maryland units online and made a list of items they need to send over.
"We've been involved in several different things and we as an administration here at this facility like to facilitate these things," says Keith Lyons of RCI. " We have a population here trying to help a community on the outside."
Many of the inmates make less than a dollar a day and even buying a bottle of shampoo would take more than a day's work. They hope they'll not only help the troops, but they want to show others outside their walls their dedication in helping others.
"When you think about this project, think about the people that have sons and daughters, relatives that are doing time, in time meaning that they're doing time that have people over there that are serving their country," says Link. "People are still patriotic even though they are locked up."
