Towels for Troops -- Part Two -- Collecting, Packing and Shipping

On Monday, January 26, Terrible Towels were flying in Pittsburgh. To be precise 2,555 towels were sailing into boxes as a small contingency of FedEx Ground employees quickly packed up 22 boxes for shipment to six military bases as part of the Towels for Troops campaign.

Nearly 600 lbs. of Terrible Towels, many signed with personal messages of thanks and encouragement, were loaded on FedEx Express planes in Pittsburgh for final delivery to four camps in Iraq, one in Kuwaitand to a military hospital in Germany.

In just three days, the towels piled up as football fans attending the Steelers Super Bowl Pep Rally came bearing towels, shoppers at Pittsburgh-based Steelers Sidelines Stores purchased towels for the troops and employees at FedEx locations in Pittsburgh tossed towels into collection boxes. Of course, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave the campaign a big boost with the donation of 1,000 towels.

During the next few days, with the help of a growing team of FedEx Express employees, we will be tracking the progress of the Terrible Towels. We’re hoping for good weather, fast customs clearance and a smooth delivery to the troops in time for their Super Bowl celebrations.

Check back to see how we track the towels on their journey overseas.