In time for troops?

A total of about $1,500. Today by 5 p.m. That means you can't mail it. You have to drop it off yourself.

It sounds like a ransom demand, but the only thing it has in common is the urgency. That amount of money is what Shoeboxes for Soldiers desperately needs today in order to make sure some Southeast Missouri soldiers have a few gifts to open -- and a taste of home -- on a Christmas Day at war.

"We got so much more than we expected," said organizer Tina Plaskie, whose husband, John, has been serving in Baghdad since May. "We just don't have enough money to get it all mailed."

The group so far has collected $2,500 in cash to help pay for the 3,300 pounds of donated items such as pens, gum, videotapes, popcorn and cards.

It costs about $1 a pound to mail the packages. Once the packages were weighed on Thursday, the group realized it was short on funds. The money is needed by today so packages can be sent off Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

Plaskie said if the packages aren't mailed by Saturday, there's a chance the gifts won't make it to the soldiers in time for Christmas.

"That would be a shame," she said.

Plaskie is encouraging anyone who can to drop off a donation at the unit's training center in Cape Girardeau at 80 S. Plaza Way.

She said she doesn't think she's asking too much.

"If they can give a gift of $25 to $30 for Christmas, they can give to someone who is putting his or her life on the line to give us peace and safety," she said.

The packages are being mailed to soldiers who serve in the Army Reserve's 348th Engineer Company, which has distributed its soldiers in different units, mainly in Iraq and Kuwait. Those soldiers will then distribute the shoe boxes to soldiers from local units and other units as well.

Plus, Plaskie hopes that the soldiers will share half of the contents with another soldier.

"We have the potential to touch the lives of 2,400 soldiers," she said. "The community will support this."

Kate Hampton, whose husband, Matt, is also serving in Baghdad, said the gifts will mean a great deal to the soldiers.

It's important, she said, "so the soldiers know they're not forgotten. It's their Christmas too. They need this. It will also show how much we love them and miss them."

A few Cape Girardeau firefighters were at the training center Thursday to help weigh boxes and get them ready for shipment. Four firefighters from Medic Engine No. 1 chipped in $100 to help pay for the postage and challenged other firefighters to do the same.

"They needed help, so we just came out to help," said Capt. Paul Breitenstein. "We heard they needed money, so we wanted to help make sure the packages got out. We've gotten some good support from the community, so we wanted to give some back."

Breitenstein said he knew Cape Girardeau and the surrounding community would find a way to come up with the money.

"When there's a big time need, people come through," he said.

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137