Jun 17, 2008: For immediate Release: June 17, 2008 – San Jose, CA:

Meriwest Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions serving Silicon Valley, the Greater Bay Area and Tucson, Arizona, announced today that their financial centers have collected 534 pounds of snacks, packaged foods, thank you notes, and various personal hygiene items intended for our men and women serving in the U.S. Military in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to the food and personal hygiene items, they also raised $237 to benefit Operation: Care and Comfort. The program, which started April 16, 2008 and ran through June 13, 2008, involved every Meriwest Financial Center in the Bay Area. Each branch actively collected materials that will now be sent to our citizen soldiers overseas by Operation: Care and Comfort. In addition to this, Meriwest was also a sponsor of Operation: Care and Comfort’s TroopFest 2008, an all day benefit concert and expo to support Operation: Care and Comfort and our military community. TroopFest 2008 took place on the U.S.S. Hornet at the former Alameda Naval Air Station on May 17th.

“Our Meriwest Financial Centers had set a goal of collecting 500 pounds of candy, packaged foods, thank you notes and personal hygiene items. These items will be shipped to the troops by Operation: Care and Comfort,” said Gregory Meyer, Community Relations Manager for Meriwest Credit Union, “When our troops are on an extended deployment overseas, these little packages mean so much to them. It is a little taste of home and a chance to forget where you are for a moment.”

“We appreciate Meriwest Credit Union’s support for the collection of items for the troops and for their participation in TroopFest 2008,” said Julie DeMaria, Co-Founder of Operation: Care and Comfort, “Another way community members can support the troops is by donating money to Operation: Care and Comfort to help pay for the cost of the shipping the troops’ packages overseas. At $1 a pound, that is our largest expense.”

Shawn Bradley – Meriwest Credit Union; Jule DeMaria – Operation: Care and Comfort Photo: Pictured are Shawn Bradley of Meriwest Credit Union and Julie DeMaria of Operation: Care and Comfort with some of the boxes of items that will be sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.

About Meriwest Credit Union:
Meriwest Credit Union, one of Silicon Valley’s largest and established financial institutions, has been providing proactive, personal, convenient and innovative financial services to more than 90,000 businesses and families throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Tucson, Arizona, for more than 46 years. More information can be found at www.meriwest.com.

About Operation: Care and Comfort:
Since April 2003, the all-volunteer Operation Care and Comfort program, unique to the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of American Red Cross, has shipped more than 200 tons of care packages for distribution to Marine, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard personnel deployed in conflict regions. Adopted military units receive care packages monthly, until they return home. Operation: Care and Comfort is a member of the Department of Defense’s “America Supports You” program. For more information on how you can support this worthy program, please visit www.operationcareandcomfort.org.