When it comes to military support, these senior ladies make the cut

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

COEUR d'ALENE — Phyllis Anderson is 101 and doing her part to make a difference in the lives of our troops' families across the world one coupon at a time.

She's among the residents of the Legends Park Assisted Living Community who participates in the Troopons program that sends manufacturer coupons to U.S. military bases.

The crew, mostly military widows, gathers in the activity room twice a week for about two and a half hours each time for a clipping party. Other residents clip from their individual rooms.

"It gives us something to do and it benefits military families," Anderson said. "It's better than sitting around and doing nothing. I like to keep busy."

And busy they've been.

The ladies have clipped $174,419 worth of coupons in the past year.

"It gives me pleasure to do something for the troops because they have done so much for us," said Jean Ingle, whose late husband, Jim, served in the Army during World War II. "This is a good cause. I can't wait for the coupons to come in. I tell you what … the veterans need everything they can get their hands on."

Fellow clipper Betty Peters, whose late husband served in the Air Force, said she's happy that Ingle invited her to participate.

"I thought it was about time I did a little bit of service," Peters said. "Thank goodness Jean asked me. Instead of sitting in a chair and doing nothing, we get to visit and do a good deed. It's nice to get out of your room and have conversation."

Clipper Corinne MacDonald added: "It sure beats TV. If you watch too much TV you'll go nuts."

But MacDonald also offered a coupon confession.

"I save a few for myself if my daughter can use them," she said with a smile. "But the majority goes to the pot."

MacDonald said the group likes to share funny moments, including ones about their husbands. She said her late husband, Robert, who served in the Army during World War II, was quite the jokester.

"He said he got drunk, fell in the snow and caught pneumonia, but he never received a Purple Heart," she said.

Kim Lochrie, Legends marketing director, said the Troopon activity gives the residents a sense of purpose.

The ladies have put two supporting nonprofits — the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889 Auxiliary and the Lt. George Farragut Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution — to the test with their diligent coupon clipping. Members of the nonprofits and Legends provide the coupons to the seniors to cut out.

"These ladies were cutting out so many coupons that we couldn't keep up, so we put the word out and the DAR is helping us even more than we ever imagined," said Beverly Hanson, VFW Auxiliary president.

The DAR has collected 80 pounds of coupons for the cause.

When Hanson and the VFW Auxiliary enlisted Legends and its residents to help, Sandy Hoctor, Legends' life enrichment director, jumped on board because Hoctor said she knows from serving in the military how the coupons make a difference.

"I'd see which ones I needed for my family," said Hoctor, who served in the Navy. "Every dollar helps."

Coupons that have been expired for up to six months can still be used for military families overseas. The coupons are sorted into food, non-food, baby and pet manufacturer categories by the VFW Auxiliary and some of the residents before they are clipped.

Hoctor said the clipping activity gives the residents a social outing and helps with their hand-eye coordination skills in addition to supporting the military. She said they often show up early and can't wait to let the cutting begin.

"We do run out of coupons, so the more we get the better," she said, adding that coupons can be dropped off at the facility at 1820 N. Legends Parkway across from the Kroc Center.

Hanson said, tongue-in-cheek, that she considers the activity to be her "group therapy" because of the laughter that's shared.

"We're thinking about starting a coupon anonymous group because we all need help if we go without it," she said.