'Boots in the House' sends care packages to military members overseas

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Tuna, peanut butter, books and socks may not sound like a like, but to U.S. service members overseas, these items mean the world.

Founder of "Boots in the House," Jamie Sisteck says even though they can't always communicate with the recipients of their care packages, when they do, it makes all the labor of love worth it.

"We just received a message the other day talking about how wonderful getting socks was and how it's getting cold in some areas over there and just being able to have a nice clean pair of socks is a treat," she said.

When it comes to showing members of the armed forces love, the more the merrier. That's why when employees from Blandford Homes needed a holiday service project, they knew exactly where to go.

"When we heard socks, we all looked at each other and thought, 'OK, we can get socks,'" Lori said. "You just assume, everyone would assume they have socks, but not necessarily."

Even though many service members can't be home for the holidays, just knowing that someone is thinking about them is a gift.

"We don't always hear from them, but when we do it's a little morsel to be able to keep us going and know exactly why we're doing this," Sisteck said.

For the businesses involved, it's a chance to give back and engage in a little friendly competition to see who can pack the most love in every package.

"We're super excited, we're a competitive company and Jamie told us in the very beginning that it's not a competition, that we're packing with grace," Lori said. "It's not a race, so I'm a little worried about that."