Merrimack Valley Patch Editors yesterday gathered all of last week's donations for care packages for troops serving overseas and prepared them to be shipped.

Thanks to your generosity we ended up with five packages full of the basics - shampoo, body wash, toothpaste - and some fun stuff, too. Thanks for helping us give back.

This project is just one of many service projects Patch editors do throughout the year. Patch's Give 5 program encourages employees to give five work days per year to service and giving back to our communities.